The Zimmermann Note

I am a big Barack Obama supporter, however, one of the historic areas that Barack Obama was able to gather support and votes was by using social networking sites to gather support. As the Washington Post called him “Social Networking King” and other sites championed his cause, he was not only the first black person that will be nominated for a Presidential Primary he was able to build up support from the bottom-up. This is much different from convential organizations that are organized from the top down and describes the premise of this book.

Clay Shirkey’s argument is that we are in a communication revolution. With the advent of the internet, it is becoming much easier to form social groups to organize much better than we could years ago. It is becoming much cheaper to publish material for the entire world to see. For example, this blog, (outside of where it might be censored) is available everywhere in the world and is costing me very little in terms of distribution costs. It is a point in history, that Shirkey explains that we must all be aware of. If we go back through the history of time we realize that there have been those points that have allowed for a greater ability to communicate with each other.

What is different about this revolution is that it is the first time that industry is playing a lesser and lesser role in the ability to communicate and form groups.

If you think back 20 years ago it would have been difficult for a presidential campaign to organize like they could now. It would have to be from the top down, organizing in every city and state as there were not those mechanisms for groups to form on their own. Money would have to be spent organizing locations where they would speak and that information would have to distributed in such a fashion that would ultimately be very expensive to do so.

With tools such as Facebook, however, groups can form very cheaply and at no expense to the organization. Their support is more run by the group themselves rather than from the top which allows for very little guidance necessary.

We see this with tools like You Tube, Facebook, Myspace, Flickr and Twitter to name a few, some of the group forming tools available on the internet. We are also faced with a wide array of information that does not come from conventional sources. A blog for instance might post photos from Myanmar, to show how the government is withholding information or the London Terrorist Subway Bombing photos can be posted on Flickr at the moment of it happening, not just as a way to inform friends that an individual might be okay but to inform the public as well of the disaster as it is happening. Media is not just limited anymore to those corporations that have in the past accustomed to control it.

As successful as the Obama Campaign has been, one of the bigger attacks against the campaign was a video of the Rev. Wright that contained snippets of some of his sermons at the Trinity United Church of Christ. Seinfeld’s Michael Richards probably did not think that anyone would be pulling out their cellphone and video recording his racist hate filled speech at a couple of blacks in the audience. However, once that went to Youtube and was seen by millions, Richards became faced with a dilemma of his own.

Not only are social networks able to be formed but those networks can connect individuals with common interests. For example, the rise of Open Sourced Software became predominant once people had the ability to communicate freely. Where a topic like open source becomes so important is that it allows the users the ability to access the source code and manipulate and or create additions on their own. Wordpress (This blog too) for example is open sourced which means that there are hundreds of people working on applications in order for it to work with other applications. Where open sourced differs, is that failure is free. Like other open sourced software, there is no cost for Wordpress. Unlike business when there is a cost for any failure, there would be none for Wordpress as it is run by dedicated users that support the product. This is needed for innovation as we realize that not every idea is going to be successful. Industry on the other hand has a harder time dealing with failure.

Shirkey’s book should have not just interest within the tech circuit but read by anyone in any industry trying to get a grasp of the tools of the 21st Century.

As an American, for the past 35 years I have seen our nation grow more divisive with each passing year. Red states and Blue states seem to have walls built up and rather than tearing them down we constantly fight and bicker rather than believe that the other side has any logical argument.

As an American, I have always considered myself a bit of a moderate Democrat. As I peruse the three final candidates for election on the Democratic end I want to bring a candidate into office that I believe will be able to work with both sides of the aisle and to bring upon a new chapter in American history that does not look to divide this country but bring it together.

Our country has been wounded by the attacks not from 9/11 but the attacks that have gone on by both sides of the aisle that look to take down the other side with dirty politics.

Carolyn Kennedy wrote in an op-ed piece in the New York Times which described her feelings about Barack Obama as associating Obama with her father, John F. Kennedy. In my opinion, Obama is this person that can bring this nation back together.

On the issues alone, Clinton, Obama and Edwards are all pretty similar.  So for me it came down to who I thought was not just going to inspire me but inspire someone that does not always agree with me.

One of the things that I have noticed in the past 8 years of Republican leadership is that either you are “Good” or you are “Evil”, you are “For Us or you are Against Us”. This divisiveness has created more harm than good. It has taken our friends and made them our enemies.

That is the element that our great nation needs. That is the element that needs to heal our country of its differences and inspire and truly lead our great nation. As I listen to Barack Obama speak as he did last night in South Carolina I am reminded that even we as individuals have become just as divisive and willing to not listen to the other side. Here is a man that has passed this message wherever he has gone, since catapulting himself in the national spotlight nearly 4 years ago when he spoke at the Democratic National Convention.

What has strengthened my resolve for Barack Obama is how he has handled the attacks by both Hillary and Bill Clinton who have tried to paint him as a Black Candidate rather than a candidate. I have always felt support for a candidate not based on their race, gender or ethnicity but their ideas and values.  The last two months have seen me as well go from having a positive opinion of both Hillary and Bill to an overall negative one.  It has gotten to the point where I have questioned whether I could vote for Hillary in the general election if she was the Democratic candidate.

I believe that Hillary Clinton is an intelligent viable candidate for the Presidency.  In the manner in which her husband was a former president would have offered this country the unique experience of rebuilding the country.  What has discouraged me is Bill Clintons lack of empathy this election cycle that has turned me against both of them. I was a big Clinton supporter for years but cannot get past this element that is threatening to divide the Democratic party.

In talking with other people what really has strengthened my beliefs is the idea of so many young people that have been inspired by Barack Obama. I speak to the older generations specifically about this of who do you want to lead our country. Think to yourselves not what your vote means to you but what it means for your children and grandchildren. We see a leader that has different ideas and values of what it means to be president in Obama.

I have listened to many people get driven to tears listening to his speeches which reminds me that politicians still have the ability to move and influence rather than bicker and fight. Barack Obama is the first candidate that I felt has spoken to me and that is why I am supporting him for President of the United States.

With all the problems with our world, I know that there is always one constant in the world that we can always trust and abide by. Rock and Roll.

Rock and Roll, under all the shit that goes on in our lives is the constant. It is what allows our blood to flow, to breathe and see tomorrow.

It is not as Peter Buck might say just a couple of chords and a cloud of dust. Jeff Tweedy said that music was his savior and he got his name from rock and roll.

If I ever went into a coma I would want those around me to put my headphones on, to turn on the Ipod and let the songs breeze through my brain, for then I would be in paradise.

I miss walking around the neighborhood listening to music. I miss the idea that this constant in my life in viewing the moving pictures, images and thoughts are gone. All I have is a blank white computer screen that grasps my inner thoughts.

Rock and Roll is the nectar, the sweet and bitterness. The sour tasting apple, the sweet ripe orange filled with the seeds of growth. In the same way that Adam and Eve bit into the apple, we are both filled with pleasure and sin at the same time.

I can always be counted on though to save me.

Which reminds me, one of these days I still have to write an article about my favorite albums of 2007. The R.E.M. stuff has taken much of my time and while there are tons of politics posts floating through my head, putting a list is imperative in the next couple of days.

Read the Mitchell Report

I have scanned some of the pages to see if my favorite players are on it. Of course the bombshell is that both Roger Clemens and Andy Pettite are on it but also includes the likes of Miguel Tejada, Eric Gagne among others. It will be interesting to see what the fallout from this is.

It is also interesting to see how different players have been treated regarding it. Jason Giambi came clean and for the most part has not had the issues that could be surrounding him now. Tejada has denied involvement as has Clemens and Pettitte earlier when their names were brought up.

What is notable is the amount of New York Players past and present that have been on the list and we are not even close to naming some of the Florida players, (Ivan Rodriguez anyone?)

For some players the punishment of being on the list will be enough to keep them out of the Hall if they were not going to be a shoe-in. Clemens is another story entirely as he has in the last 5-6 years gone to lengths that many figured would never occur again. Clemens 354 victories especially the numbers after 40 are pretty amazing.

Is he Hall of Fame Material though? What is happening with baseball is the crippling aspect that our greatest players have also been the greatest failures. The list goes on and on. Pete Rose, Bonds, Clemens, Palmeiro, Mark McGwire etc. have all cheated the game one way or another. Should they be welcomed into the Hall?

The other question of course would be the borderline cases of clean players? Are their numbers more impressive now?

Frank Thomas should be a shoe-in based on his no-steroids approach. His 500 Home Runs and counting will mean much more today than maybe in years past. Also it should be mentioned that since we do not know the full extent of all the steroid abuses over the years, how do we treat anyone in that category? Can we assume that just because A-Rod isn’t bloated that he could be a roids user as well? As Mitchell explained, this report was only based on the findings that had become known and does not mention the number of people that might still be using Steroids, or even Human Growth Hormone which at this time is still not detectable in drug screenings.

I am happy to see that there were no significant names on the Sox that were listed. Jim Parque was listed although it seems that was done after he left the Sox.  His career ended over the fact that he got injured and could not throw a fastball above 88. I have a feeling this is why he went this route. The other player, Scott Schoenweis was also listed as having drugs sent to Comiskey but he was always a bum anyhow and had a bad attitude.

I must be mad. Kenny Williams is just receiving lumps of coal on his voyage of reassembling the team this offseason.

Listing of Grievances

1. Not signing Torii Hunter, albeit 90 million is a lot for him.

2. Not getting Miguel Cabrera in a trade, which really would have opened the floodgates for additional trades.

3. Losing Kosuke Fukodome to the Cubs even though they offered more money to Fukodome.

4. Losing out on the Aaron Rowand Sweepstakes. They did not want to give him a 5th year.

Fact is that the Sox have little to offer this offseason. They made a lot of predictions of big things but the Kenny Williams bandwagon must be losing his focus. All I can say is that some of the stuff that went on with Buerhle and Dye could have rubbed off on other players. I can also see why Rowand was not going to waste his time only signing a three or four year deal, however, at the same time, Rowand will have difficulty even getting close to those numbers in San Fran. That team has no offense period compared to the protection he got from the high powered Phillies.

 Still I am thinking of getting a season ticket package this season. 13 games would be really awesome. 

From Silicon Alley Insider 

Basically the YouTube Clips from the Zeppelin shows have become blocked and the claims are that this is from Warner Bros., however, there seems to be no official word regarding this as of yet why this is occurring.

Interesting story nonetheless and something to follow-up on.

The Scotsman 

There’s life in the legend yet as Led Zeppelin hit new high
JULIA KUTTNER
AT THE O2 IN LONDON
ALMOST 20 years since they last took to the stage together, Led Zeppelin drowned out the commotion accompanying the most hyped concert in a generation with a blistering two-hour set.

More than 20 million people had applied for 18,000 seats for the charity gig at London’s O2 arena and one Scottish fan was rumoured to have paid £83,000 for two tickets.

The legendary band’s 12-year reign of guitar blues and rock earned them worldwide worship in the shape of 300 million record sales.

And last night Led Zeppelin landed their mothership and fulfilled their promise.

Before the event, guitarist Jimmy Page had implored fans not to compare the charity show to others in the past and had insisted the concert would be a one-off.

Surviving members Page, singer Robert Plant, and bassist and keyboard player John Paul Jones were joined by the late John Bonham’s son, Jason, on drums.

The fundraising event was for an education project in memory of Ahmet Ertegun, the Atlantic Records boss who signed the band in 1968.

After the lights went down, newsreel footage of a 1975 performance in Tampa, Florida, was projected onstage.

With thousands of fans worked into a frenzy, Bonham began thumping the skittering beat before the surviving founders joined in on Good Times, Bad Times.

In jeans not quite as famously tight as they were 27 years ago, Plant still had the energy to strut his 59-year-old body across the stage. However, he mercifully kept his shirt buttoned up.

The 20-minute long Dazed and Confused raised stadium rock to a new level.

With tickets featuring a face value of £125, if you thought the audience had dug into their pension funds for a big night out you may be right.

But there was plenty of punching the air by fans who wouldn’t have been walking in 1980, the year John Bonham died.

Since then, Led Zeppelin have performed only a handful of gigs, including Live Aid in 1985 and an Atlantic Records anniversary show three years later.

By their own admission, each reunion was a shambles, so anticipation ahead of last night’s set at was high.

It was chance to revisit a time when rock was king, the record industry was at its peak and Led Zeppelin were its all conquering leaders.

After more than an hour the bulk of the fans got what they seemed to want most - a rendition of Stairway To Heaven.

Plant seemed to shake away the years and get livelier as the show went on. And two hours in the band were still running on full engines as they launched into the shuddering opening of Kashmir.

Whole Lotta Love had the crowd screaming out every word along with a passionate Plant. And the furiously fast finale of Rock n’ Roll had the arena whipped into a frenzy.

An emotional Plant thanked the fans, but had Led Zeppelin enjoyed the experience as much as their 18,000 lucky followers?

This morning millions of rock fans will be crossing their fingers and hoping for a positive answer to that question.

THE SET LIST
Good Times Bad Times

Ramble On

Black Dog

In My Time Of Dying

For Your Life

Trampled Underfoot

Nobody’s Fault

No Quarter

Since I’ve Been Loving You

Dazed And Confused

Stairway To Heaven

The Song Remains The Same

Misty Mountain Hop

Kashmir

Whole Lotta Love

Rock’n'Roll

From everything that I have heard about this, it sounded like an amazing evening. 

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,315194,00.html

You have to love this story, however, it makes me sad that someone that is so out of it is able to land themselves a Nationally Syndicated Television show like the view.

Mitt Romney wants to be the religious conservative that is not a religious conservative.  Mormonism has also become a very difficult issue for Americans and Romney to deal with. While Kennedy might have had problems being a Roman Catholic in the 60s, I think that the difference between Catholicism and Mormonism is that Mormonism is slightly askew in its beliefs, especially the issue of Polygamy, as well as some of the views of the Mormon Religion which is not truly Protestant or Catholic but falls outside both of these groups. Mormons in their own way are looked at as a “Cult” in some sects of the Christian faith and by these same people not really considered Christians whatsoever.

While all three groups do share the bible as a source for their beliefs, Mormons also use the book of Mormon and that is where the problems truly exist.

How do you pretend to be a man of faith within a party of faith that does not trust your faith?

I have to be honest with you that I am not much of a hockey fan or I wasn’t but I ended up sitting around and watching the Blackhawks play Phoenix today and was visibly surprised just how good they were. What was even more special was watching the Hawks on their home ice on television, something that hasn’t happened as far as I have been alive.

It is something to be excited about in this city where the Bears are struggling and the Bulls look like a farm team.