Archive for May, 2009

You know I feel bad for the people who work there…

Posted: May 4, 2009 by datechguy in local stuff
Tags: ,

…but a lot of conservatives aren’t going to cry a lot of tears over this:

The New York Times Co. said last night that it is notifying federal authorities of its plans to shut down the Boston Globe, raising the possibility that New England’s most storied newspaper could cease to exist within weeks.

After down-to-the-wire negotiations did not produce millions of dollars in union concessions, the Times Co. said that it will file today a required 60-day notice of the planned shutdown under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification law.

Of course the Globe might survive and the 60 day closing period means they might still be able to cover the Bruin and Celtic championship runs but the Globe has done this to itself.

I’ll miss the sports page.

As close as a must read you can get…

Posted: May 4, 2009 by datechguy in opinion/news
Tags: ,

…from the greenroom comes the story of chief Red Specter.

The Ransom of Red Chief is a short story written by O. Henry in the early 1900’s about a child kidnapped for ransom in a small town by two criminals. But the criminals did not know what they were getting into, as the exuberantly mischievous child (nicknamed “Red Chief”) drove the criminals so crazy that they keep lowering the ransom price. But Red Chief’s parents would have nothing of it; they demanded money from the kidnappers to take their child back.

I loved reading the story as a child, and learned many lessons from it (for example, don’t wish too hard for something, you might get it). Apparently not many Democrats read the Ransom of Red Chief, or they would not have hooted and hollered so loudly when Arlen Specter announced that he was joining the Democratic caucus.

The whole thing is a exercise in schafenfreude. Particularly when the media has gone Specter Gaga and anointed it as a sign of doom for the republican party. When democrats fail to succeed with that 60th vote in the D column they will become the failures and we will reap the rewards. The netroots see it but what can they do other than support someone else in the primary?

Worm turning anyone?

Time to add Legal Insurrection to the blogroll I think.

MSNBC worth paying for?

Posted: May 4, 2009 by datechguy in oddities, opinion/news
Tags: , ,

Newsbusters covers the Broohahhah concerning many cable networks making MSNBC a pay network.

With that all as pretext, readers should be aware that cable and satellite companies have not dropped MSNBC. Instead, in some cases, and for whatever the reason, its accessibility may have become more expensive and its position in the channel lineup may have changed.

Kos’ kids are blaming the ratings on the move:

In the past few weeks, it has come to my personal attention that one cable or satellite company after another has been quietly moving MSNBC away from the news channel section of their lineup and into the premium section, or into the stratosphere of three and four digit channels.

As a result, when the ratings came out this week, it was no surprise to see how MSNBC is now a distant third behind CNN and FOX.

I think it’s exactly backwards. I think MSNBC is like Turner Classic Network. It is a niche network and the cable companies have figured out that they don’t get any bang by giving it away. The Kos kids WILL pay for their MSNBC because they are the niche that MSNBC markets for (except for Morning Joe)

I like TCN but if I want it I have to pay for it because most people don’t care for the old stuff enough to pay for it. (Actually I watch the few movies they offer on demand free since I can’t afford it right now). This is MSNBC all over.

They are programming for the Choir and the Choir will pay.

It’s taxes taxes taxes

Posted: May 4, 2009 by datechguy in local stuff, opinion/news
Tags:

The Boston Herald reports on NH voting to allow gay marriage and comments on how the state seems to be turning blue:

New Hampshire is shedding its image as a reliably Republican-red state, reflecting New Hampshire’s changing demographics as younger and more liberal.

Lawmakers last week passed bills allowing gay marriage and medicinal marijuana.

The talk is about demographics but the real story is social liberals fleeing high taxes in Massachusetts.

If you drive from New Ipswich to Nashua you see so many business’ that weren’t there twenty years ago that you have trouble finding landmarks that you used to use.

The question on where NH will go in the presidential elections will depend solidly on fiscal conservatism. If you are fiscally conservative you can win in NH. That has to be the stress of any candidate.

Believe me by 2012 if anything turns NH red again for the general election it will be that and the president will be a big help along that line.

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