Wednesday, July 30, 2008

John Edwards Scandal: Wikipedia Editor Defends Policies



William Beutler, an editor at Wikipedia, gives a cool, calm defense of Wikipedia editorial policies and how they affect the "John Edwards" entry in John Edwards Among the Wikipedians.

Yesterday's John Edwards Love Child Scandal: Debate at Wikipedia Rages mentioned the sometimes-heated debate at the on-line reference source over whether to include any mention of the "Love Child Scandal" or "Rielle Hunter" on Edwards' Wikipedia page. The debate can be followed at Talk: John Edwards

Beutler sets up what's happened to this point.

More than 26,000 words (!)* have been expended on the discussion page associated with the John Edwards encyclopedia entry since the National Enquirer posted a story claiming he was seen leaving a hotel room rented for Rielle Hunter (last week), the woman with whom they have alleged he fathered a child out of wedlock (last year). So far, there is no mention of this story in the article — let alone the existence of Ms. Hunter — and because it has been temporarily locked (see above), it doesn’t appear that anyone will. Not just yet, anyway.

I’ve now read about half the debate, which is the whole extent of it before new people start showing up and re-arguing old points. Based on my own knowledge of how Wikipedia works and what I’ve seen in the press, I’ve come to the conclusion that, even though it sure looks like Edwards’ goose is cooked, Wikipedia’s editors are currently doing the responsible thing by keeping it out of the article.


Getting to the defense of what some--including DBKP--have characterized as foot-dragging, Beutler explains:
"There are two reasons to proceed with caution, in addition to the truth remaining at large. One is Wikipedia’s strict guidelines for biographies of living persons and the other is that Wikipedia is a reference site, not a news site."

Patrick Ruffini, among others, is unimpressed. In a comment on the Beutler post, he noted: "If Edwards were a Republican, the National Enquirer scandal would be the first line of his Wikipedia entry, and anyone attempting to take it down would be immediately edited out."

By far, the most valid point made here is that Wikipedia is not a news site. It has no deadline to meet when including updates to already-published information. As Beutler pointed out, there's no deadlines to meet.

If this same strict standard is applied to all Wikipedia entries, then “What’s the rush?” is a good defense to charges of editorial bias and selective foot-dragging.

It will be something for Wiki-watchers to look for in the future.

All-in-all, a good defense of one side in a heated on-line debate.

DBKP will continue to follow the debate.

by Mondoreb

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Culture Watch 25: Continued Good News in Iraq





CULTURE WATCH, Volume 25
by Nancy Morgan
Right Bias
July 28, 2008




Last week was 'All Obama, All The Time' as the media reported endlessly on the 'historic' trip Obama made to Iraq and Europe.

Before jetting off, however, he removed the American flag from his campaign jet. For more on his 'historic' visit, just click on any TV, any channel, anywhere in the world.


GOOD NEWS:

Exhibiting a firm grasp of the obvious, the Associated Press has (finally) reported "The US is now winning the war that two years ago seemed lost." I guess that makes it official. We've won in Iraq.

Oil exports through Iraq's northern pipeline rose more than tenfold over the past year.

In yet another sign of progress, 62 tribes and 68 sheikhs have organized four private trucking companies to form the Iraqi Transportation Network. It appears the tribes in Iraq are starting to work together better than our very own congress. Now that insurgent attacks and sectarian bloodshed have ebbed, Iraq's government (thank-you, USA) is beginning to promote tourism. Want to sign up for an Iraq tour? At the very least, it will enhance your resume.

The good news is the Arctic may hold 90 billion barrels of oil, enough to supply US demand for oil for 12 years. The bad news is, the Democrats refuse to even allow a vote on tapping these resources.


MEDIA:

The New York Times refused to publish McCain's direct rebuttal to Obama's 'My Plan For Iraq' because it did not 'mirror' Obama's. The obvious bias of the Gray Lady was rewarded when their 2nd quarter profit dropped a whopping 82%.

The Times response was typically liberal - they raised the price of their newspaper .25 to $1.50 and proceeded to publish an article lamenting that there have been "4,000 U.S. Combat Deaths and Just A Handful of Images." Time to stick a fork into this once great paper - they're almost done.

A great video clip entitled Obama Love was released by the McCain campaign showing the continuing media love affair with Obama. "A gift from the world to us." Best watched on an empty stomach.



Again confirming the obvious, an analysis of federal records shows that political donations made by our impartial media favor Democrats by 100 to 1.


GOVERNMENT AT WORK:

With the eyes of the world focused on Obama, our government is quietly working on several measures that will appropriate ever more money and power to the federal government. The Senate will soon be debating the 'Global Poverty Act.' If enacted, this act will cost every man woman and child in the US $2,500 - all in the name of reducing poverty around the world.

Despite record high gas prices, lawmakers are considering a gas tax hike. They're also considering another economic stimulus package. This, after authorizing a housing bailout estimated to cost taxpayers $25 billion (rebutting Treasury's recent prediction that any housing bailout would be 'virtually cost-free.')

Congress is debating two bills that could give the feds unprecedented control over the way parents raise their kids. They're also holding hearings hoping to reverse the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy regarding gays in the military. Meanwhile, Rep. Dennis Kucinich's never ending quest to impeach George Bush got another hearing in the House Judiciary committee.

The feds were so busy doing the people's work that they had to drop their criminal probe of Al Sharpton.

Meanwhile, in 'Kindergarten Cops, Part 2,' Arnold signed legislation that will make California the first state to ban trans fats in bakeries and restaurants. Following Arnold's lead, the LA City Council proposed placing a one year moratorium on new fast food restaurants and while they were at it, the council did their bit to save the world by voting to ban plastic shopping bags from stores. Speaking of saving the world:


ECO-HYSTERIA:

There's a new global warming game that shows kids how to calculate their carbon footprint so they can "find out what age you should die so you don't use more than your fair share of Earth's resources."

Across the pond, the global warming agenda is becoming increasingly clear as population control is suggested as a solution to this faux crisis. Eco-crazies aren't deterred by the increasing number of scientists who challenge the man-made warming hypothesis, the most recent convert being a former global warming alarmist, the guy who created the model to measure Australia's compliance with Kyoto, who claims there is no evidence that carbon emissions cause global warming.

Penn & Teller have produced a great video which exposes the socialist roots to environmental hysteria.


CULTURE:

In a gay nightmare, a lesbian finds she is consigned to marriage, for life. Apparently her state doesn't recognize gay marriage and the state where she was wed limits divorces to residents.

In a surprise turnaround, actor Danny Glover, who plans an epic film on Haiti's hero Toussaint-Louverture, said he slaved to raise the money himself because financiers complained there were no white heroes. Where's the affirmative action?

S. Dakota Planned Parenthood closed its doors rather than comply with a new law requiring abortion practitioners to inform every woman that she is terminating the life of a human being.

Singapore is considering legalising kidney trading to meet the demand for kidney transplants and a new survey warns about the rising rates of HIV among Hispanics.

Nihilism is on the rise as one in three Muslim students in the UK say killing for religion is justified.

In Costa Rica, animal abuse is now considered art as an 'artist' is making headlines, publicly starving a dog to death as part of his 'exhibit'.


A Chinese laborer with only a high school education has made a submarine at home.


ESSENTIAL TRIVIA:

For all the women out there, good news. A new study has found that male lust is blind. Apparently even the plainest Jane can get their hormones raging. And for all the men out there, beware - researchers have also found that a regular diet containing even modest amounts of soy may reduce your sperm production by 50


IDIOT OF THE WEEK:

There's no tie this week. From the ranks of the terminally stupid, a convicted murderer who was executed last week chose to use his last words to implore everyone to vote for Obama. You can't make this stuff up. Poor Obama, another vote lost.


Before I sign off, I include a link to the article that swept the net last week. 'He Ventured Forth To Bring Light To The World' by Gerald Baker. One of the best articles I've ever read. Only trouble is, I couldn't figure out if it was truth or satire.


Till next week, keep smiling,

by Nancy Morgan

Nancy Morgan is a columnist and a news editor for RightBias.com
She lives in South Carolina, where she writes "Culture Watch" weekly.

Article may be reprinted with attribution. Bio available on request.

Trench Reynolds: DBKP This Week in Crime, vol. 25

July 20-July 26, 2008

Trench Reynolds



I'm Trench Reynolds.

I blog about crime.


This is DBKP's This Week in Crime for July 20th-July 26th, 2008.

This week at craigscrimelist I posted a story about how proponents of the so called 'victimless crime' harassed a man who was actually trying to clean up craigslist.

I think the DBKP readers might get a kick from a link I posted at CrimeNe.ws about some Barack Obama supporters.

Things are still slow at News of Doom except for one story I posted about yet another woman who had her baby cut from her womb.

A story from MyCrimeSpace that DBKP readers may also find interesting is the latest legal wrangling in the upcoming trial of Lori Drew.

At TheTrenchcoat Chronicles I posted about the most recent shooting to take place at a college campus. Even during the summer this still happens.

And lastly at Bad Breeders, I know I mentioned it last week but the blogging continues about the disappearance of Caylee Marie Anthony. Especially with the weird things that her grandmother, Cindy Anthony, keeps saying to the press.

Remember, if you want to follow my sites the best way is to use Twitter, the RSS feed, or Netvibes. Considering how often I change things around these ways are the best ways to keep up with me.

That's it for this week. I'm Trench Reynolds for DBKP.

Remember that the evil you brew, is waiting outside to be paid by you.

by Trench Reynolds
image: Trench Network

Seattle Green Lake Spikes Mystery Solved

"I'm sorry. It was us."
--Seattle Parks Department spokesman, Dewey Potter on how sharpened steel spikes got into the Green Lake




The mystery of spikes in the pond [Spate of Hidden Sharpened Spikes Found in Lake, Parks] in Seattle has been solved.

The Seattle Parks Department put them there.

The mystery was solved with a quote reminiscent of Oliver Hazard Perry ("We have met the enemy and they are ours.") or Walt Kelly's Pogo ("We have met the enemy and it's us.").

Monday, a spokesman for the Seattle Parks Dept., Dewey Potter, said, "I'm sorry it was us."

The Parks Department says they were placed in the lake more than 20 years ago to hold down plastic sheeting in an attempt to control water plants.

The metal stakes originally had curved tops that rusted off, leaving sharp points.


Not exactly "alls well that ends well", but close enough.

The spikes that were found in various parks in the Netherlands, embedded in hidden pits?

Still no explanation on that.

by Mondoreb
image: Seattle Times - Sharpened Spikes at Green Lake
Sources:
* Seattle parks department responsible for spikes in lake
* Spikes in Seattle pond not malicious

PC in Britain: Police Often Take the Side of Lawbreakers

DBKP UK PC Roundup

Britain As Hell






Time once again for the DBKP United Kingdom weekly round up, where we explore the zany world of Political Correctness as a way of life.

The British started the week with the Police intimidating another elderly victim. it seems hardly a day can go by without the coppers deciding that criminals are far too dangerous for them, but slapping down the law abiding--and basically defenseless geriatrics--is just too much fun to pass on.

Grandmother arrested on race charges after telling rowdy Asian students to 'go home'

Now I know what you are thinking. Blurting out "Go home!" to a bunch of drunken Muslim thugs (The Koran apparently has multiple interpretations regarding drinking, but only Muslims are allowed to know what, when and how they apply) is criminally racist speech.

Or so the Police thought. The Crime:

After being woken for the third time in one night by a group of drunken and noisy students, Jo Calvert-Mindell was at her wits' end.

The former policewoman got dressed, went outside and shouted at them: 'Why can't you go back to where you come from and make some noise there? I bet your families and neighbours wouldn't put up with it.

She also reported the incident to police, who came and dispersed the eight students.

The 51-year-old grandmother was astonished when four months later she was arrested and accused of being a racist. It turned out that two Asians in the group had complained to the police

In April, Miss Calvert-Mindell, who has never been in trouble with the police before, was charged with using racially aggravated threatening words or behaviour under section 5 of the Public Order Act.


That is right. She wasn't telling them to go back to Pakistan. Just to go home.

But because they were Muslims ("Asian" in Brit PoliCeSpeak), she faced charges. It is important for all to know that freedom of speech is non-existent in Britain, and free thought is is disappearing, as well.

Speaking of Muslims:
Police told to warn criminals before setting canines on them - in case they are FRIGHTENED or ALLERGIC to dog hair

First, a little primer on British PoliCeSpeak. When the Brits talk about Muslims, the only time the word is used is in a positive reference. When it comes to the day-to-day anti-social, Sudden Muslim Grievance Syndrome, terrorism , misogyny, and intolerance that makes this 'religion' such a barrel of laughs, the Brits seem unable to utter the word "Muslim".

From the story:

Being chased by a police dog was never intended to be a pleasant experience.But now handlers are being extra careful to avoid upsetting criminals' sensibilities by giving them advance warning before dogs are set on them. Forces across Britain are being instructed to 'avoid offending' sufferers of cynophobia - the clinical name for a fear of canines - or those allergic to dog hair.The move comes amid fears that suspects whose medical conditions are triggered by dogs may file costly compensation bills against the force which authorised their use during arrests or raids on homes.


So how do we know this is about Muslims, and not the ordinary drug runner or crazy murderer on the run?

Because on July 6, 2008 the British police announced that police dogs would wear shoes when entering Muslim homes.

From Times On Line:



Police sniffer dogs will have to wear bootees when searching the homes of Muslims so as not to cause offence. Where Muslims object, officers will be obliged to use sniffer dogs only in exceptional cases. Where dogs are used, they will have to wear bootees with rubber soles. “We are trying to ensure that police forces are aware of sensitivities that people can have with the dogs to make sure they are not going against any religious or cultural element within people’s homes. It is being addressed and forces are working towards doing it,” Acpo said


But that bit of ass kissing was not good enough. So this week the Brits stooped lower.

Photographing thugs 'is assault', police tell householder snapping proof of anti-social behaviour

A householder who took photographs of hooded teenagers as evidence of their anti-social behaviour says he was told he was breaking the law after they called the police. David Green, 64, and his neighbours had been plagued by the youths from a nearby comprehensive school for months, and was advised by their headmaster to identify them so action could be taken. The youths were aged around 17; he said one threatened to kill him while another called the police on his mobile. And he claimed that a Police Community Support Officer sent to the scene promptly issued a warning that taking pictures of youths without permission was illegal, and could lead to a charge of assault.


Typical yobs

One of Mr Green's pictures shows two hooded teenagers, one making an obscene gesture towards the camera.

What about the thugs that were terrorizing and vandalizing the neighborhood? Don't ask. You could be arrested for anti-social thought. And the story helpfully points out that Mr Green's excessive use of the camera is not an isolated incident.

Last week, the Daily Mail reported that a father was told by a play equipment supervisor he was not allowed to take pictures of his own children on a slide.


British Police are sometimes willing to give a hand.

Police 'put half-naked rape victim in minicab and made her pay fare home'

Police allegedly marched a rape victim who had been found crying in the street at 1am to a cab firm, and then made her pay the fare home....instead of driving her to a hospital or a police station, the officers took her to a taxi firm close to Southwark Tube station. After it was found no one could collect her, the taxi firm agreed to take her home. The woman reported the incident, which took place on 4 July, the next day but investigators fear important forensic evidence may have been lost. A senior source said: 'It should have been clear that she may have been sexually assaulted. To top it off, they put her in a cab with another strange man.' Police think the woman may have been raped by an unlicensed taxi driver who dumped her in the street.


That story needs no comment.

It says everything one need know about British Police.



by pat
images:
* forbidden planet
* d-boner
* the sun
* guardian
Sources:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article4276489.ece
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1036728/Photographing-thugs-assault-police-tell-householder-snapping-proof-anti-social-behaviour.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1036892/Police-half-naked-rape-victim-minicab-pay-fare-home.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1036998/Police-warn-criminals-canine-phobia-setting-dogs--avoid-offence.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1038285/Grandmother-arrested-race-charges-telling-rowdy-Asian-students-home.html

John Edwards Love Child Scandal: Debate at Wikipedia Rages

"Rielle Hunter"
"John Edwards Scandal"


If searching for information on the John Edwards scandal,
Scratch Wikipedia from the list of places to look.






A free-for-all has been raging at Wikipedia over whether to include information of the latest John Edwards Love Child news in the on-line reference source. The battle is between those who want a mention of the scandal on the "John Edwards" entry and those, who for various reasons, don't. It involves such topics as "National Enqurier reliability", "left wing bias" and whether to include information that "Hundreds of media outlets have reported on".

The back-and-forth can be seen at Talk: John Edwards and is, in some places, a fascinating look at the human prejudicial baggage--on both sides--that each editor brings to the debate.

I don't want to spill the beans on which way the debate is going, but, as of the time of this post, Wikipedia's "John Edwards" entry has no mention of the scandal which has been bubbling on the Internet for the past 10 months.

Newsbusters, [Wikipedia Disallows Any Mention of Alleged John Edwards Scandal ] and others, have written about Wikipedia joining the mainstream press in their information blackout of the John Edwards scandal.

Wikipedia, which allowed verb tenses for their Tim Russert entry to be changed from present to past tense about a half hour before the official announcement of his death, is suddenly going ultra legal in its refusal to allow their John Edwards entry to be updated with mention of the alleged scandal which was reported in the National Enquirer with many of the details confirmed by Fox News. Suddenly Wikipedia has become a stickler for confirmation detail before the Edwards entry can be updated. To get an idea of how much Wikipedia is twisting itself into a pretzel to justify their refusal to update their John Edwards entry, one needs only to look at their pained, but comedically entertaining, discussions of this matter in their “Tabloid scandal accusations” section:




At the top of the John Edwards page is this notice:

This page is currently protected from editing until July 30, 2008 or until disputes have been resolved.

"This protection is not an endorsement of the current version. See the protection policy and protection log for more details. Please discuss any changes on the talk page; you may use the {{editprotected}} template to ask an administrator to make the edit if it is supported by consensus. You may also request that this page be unprotected."

We had made an earlier assumption that when Mainstream Media organizations were forced--by events beyond their control--to report on the John Edwards affair, that Wikipedia would be dragged along.

Kicking and screaming all the way, no doubt.

But, that hasn't happened.

To keep any information of the scandal from their users, the Stonewall-side of the Wiki debate depend on a circuitous defense of both hairs-splitting and angel-counting.

The Enquirer is not a reliable source. It's corroborated.

Well, not enough. Now the Times is reporting on it.

We're not a newspaper. We have to be sure. We have a lot of time on this.

There's no pictures. Well, we're going to wait.

As was noted, all fascinating stuff, if the reader is into behind-the-scenes looks at how policy is formed.

When the pictures emerge--both on-line and in the print editions of the Enquirer later this week--people searching for information on the affair will learn that Wikipedia, the reference source that made conventional encyclopedias outdated from the moment they were printed, is out-of-date itself. Wiki will then sadly join the MSM, where a small group who long to be gatekeepers of information for the rest of mankind, reside.

Wikipedia is at the top of the Internet reference mountain today. But, that position is not a given. A host of competing wikis have sprouted on the Internet recently. If Wikipedia thinks that they will always be Number One, regardless of policies which deny users information--controversial or not--they will learn a hard lesson.

They can ask about the lesson time they're at K-Mart, drink a Carling's Black Label beer or read the New York Times. All organizations which were, at one time, Number One in their respective fields.

by Mondoreb
image: dbkp file

Monday, July 28, 2008

John Edwards Love Child Scandal: The Video



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