DC Concierge Rouses A Good Chunk of Washington

It's been an incredibly long night. The relaunch party for DC Concierge brought me out of my usual cocoon. N Street's The Space looked like a remodeled garage with chandeliers and big screen TV. Reminded me of the basement parties we used to throw while parents obliviously snoozed upstairs, minus the parents of course.

So many people. The crush to the bar was excruciating! Made the small talk and exchanged cards, but really came to give my best to the DC Concierge. Now there's a gal who knows how to throw a party. Flooded the place with cameras to record all the guest for prosperity (at least that's the way it felt). I wonder if she'll post any photographs online (duh).

Rushed home to watch CNN's public service forum at Columbia University. Fell in love with Obama all over again, although McCain's answers made me feel like Democrats will win this election no matter what.

Almost...

Curse you, former Beauty Queen. A pox on your lipstick brain!

Spewker Comments Like Closet Ditto Head

Hot darn, really love it when people leave comments on this blog! It's like, I know they're out there reading The Spewker (vee haf ways of tracking dees tings), but for some reason, they're hesitant to tell the world at large.

A perfect example is when we gave out free T-shirts for leaving comments at the end of our smack down against Omarosa Manigsworth Stallwell, whoever the freak that non-celebrity is. I'm not even going to bother looking up the correct spelling or pronunciation of that 15-minute hog's last name. She should shimmy back to wherever she came from because there isn't an iota of talent in her body or a shred of anything entertaining in her persona.

The point is, plenty of people tuned in to that Celebrity Apprentice article, a link from a Moan Quivers Twitter live blog, but none were willing to comment in the fifteen or twenty minute window of time to win a free T-shirt. A very nice T-shirt too, I might add, with a great logo on thick 50-50 comfy white. No, I take that back. Five people finally did comment, but only three left an email address. Of that three, only one responded with an address to send the T-shirt.

For the record, "purplefrogcat" was the only comment published (who didn't win because five other people had commented by then) just in case contestants linked their names to actual email addresses. Didn't want them risking getting spammed for a lousy T-shirt and always keep my promises.

From that experience, I concluded people are somewhat strange when it comes to having a dialogue with this blog. Tiptoe in, tiptoe out. Like if readers leave no trace of themselves, no one will know they've been lurking about.

That kind of behavior reminds me of the time I spoke to Rush Limbaugh on his Open Line Friday program,. Say what you will about the man - plenty of my friends do - but his is a voice to be reckoned with in our times. You can't have an informed opinion unless you're hearing news from all different sources. Sorry, but that's the sad state of journalism today. Rush tells it the way he sees it, making his opinion and the opinions of his listeners valuable commodities. I hardly ever agree with him, especially these days regarding oil, the election, etc., but that's neither here nor there.

It was my birthday, about two years ago, on a Friday afternoon. Don't ask why I was cooking in the kitchen listening to Rush Limbaugh on my birthday. Something told me to call in when a certain caller hung up, so when the phone actually rang, my heart started to pound and my head began to race. I wanted to discuss an issue that had come up in an earlier program, but his screener (Snerdly?) said plenty of other people had already called about that topic and didn't sound very enthusiastic about putting me through.

Quickly, I had to think of something else or risk being dropped me for the next call. This goes against the premise of Open Line Friday's format, but I wasn't about to argue with the guy or take no for an answer.

For lack of a better subject -- and being unable to think fast on my feet -- I asked for a better understanding of Rush's position on abortion. After all, Republicans are always spewing about less government, less government interference, less control over what we do as individuals. Isn't the Conservative stance on abortion antithetical to that line of thinking?

Bingo! He put me through. What happened during the course of that phone call is fodder for a different discussion. I'm getting way off track here and want to get back to the topic at hand, comments on this blog, but there is an analogy if you give me time to develop it.

I was a little star struck speaking to Rush, I'll admit that. Here was someone whose opinion I had listened to, whose take on the news entertained and amused me, whose Paul Shanklin parodies sometimes had me LMAO day in and day out for years, finally having a one on one conversation with me. Not being a Conservative myself, I didn't want to antagonize him, but I didn't want to compromise my own political integrity either.

One of the first things I said was that I was a registered Democrat who listened to his program all the time, but that I wasn't a ditto head. I was trying to convey being a fan - a big one - but being at odds with his ideology. Not exactly an endearing opening which in retrospect I would not repeat given a do over. I'll never forget his response, nor the way he said it, like a retort, lording and condescending ... understandable if you know anything about Limbaugh.

To paraphrase, "Well, Cheryl, if you listen to the program as much as you say you do, you already are a ditto head." Ooooo. Snap.

And so, dear readers, if you subscribe to this blog through our feed or just drop by from time to time, whether or not you leave comments is irrelevant. Your electronic footprints may not be showing to the blogosphere, but they're showing to me. I've been very pleased with our growth over the course of the past year.

You may not comment because you're not ready to wave that freak flag, the one labeling you as a fan of The Spewker, but that's okay. Just because you don't consider yourself a spewklet doesn't mean you're not one already.

Kind of like being a closet ditto head, whatever that means. I'd like to think it means I'm a fan of Rush Limbaugh, rather than its common understanding.

You, on the other hand, can craft a meaning for "spewklet" however you like.

Hope for Economic Stimulus Package Pinned on Coolspotters Shoulders

Looking like a niche social network for obsessed celeb watchers, Coolspotters.com launches a celebrity connection sometime later today or tomorrow, depending upon your Google Maps location.

If it weren't for the brash commercialism, I'd definitely be one of the first ones to sign on. The site connects people to stuff, the implication being if you've seen stuff on a celebrity or in some media program, you must make it your own. Chat up the products and make some new friends...or maybe frenemies, who knows?

"Rate stuff, leave comments, and follow cool people," urges a diagram at the top of the homepage. "Coolspotters is the Google of people and products," proclaims Rachel Zoe, celebrity stylist. Oh bully. Just who everyone wants to see in their browser. A stylist instead of an actual celebrity. Now you too can purchase the same styling sheers used to shave Britney's head. Only a thousand bucks at Vidal Sassoon. Hurry while supplies last.

I can see it now. Bored upwardly mobile teenagers flocking to Coolspotters, gossiping about celebs, rating the coat Lindsay stole, spending sugardaddy's hard earned cash on stuff they don't really need.

That oughta make Dubya light up like a Christmas tree.

[Source]

Six Unimportant Things Tagging Me

Social networks are a blast. The great Yahoo social network, MyBlogLog, is where I not only promote my own blather, but sometimes find real gems among the articles of my contacts.

Jewel has a tag game going on, started by friend, Lauren, whose cat Leo meows like every other cat I've ever known. Leo can open doors, which is pretty cool. Lauren was tagged by Barbara, who was tagged by Karyne, and well, you can see where this is going.

When I was a spry young thing, I loved playing tag. Since Jewel opened this game to the masses, I'm jumping right in.

Like any good game, this one has rules:

1. Share six unimportant things about yourself
2. Link back to the person who tagged you.
3. Post these rules on your blog.
4. Tag six random people at the end of your entry (or open it up to anyone, like me and Jewel).

This is so random, I don't know where to start. Wait. Yes, I do.

1. I know all the lyrics to Dynamo Hum by heart.

2. When I don't want to do something that has to get done, I procrastinate until I can't afford to delay one second more, then stick with the task until it's finished either by actual completion or deadline.

3. My favorite place to eat Thrasher's french fries is the boardwalk in Ocean City. I'll smother a large bucket in vinegar and salt (no ketchup allowed), then pop them in my mouth one at a time watching the people walk by until my stomach feels like a lead weight and the thought of a fried potato makes me want to hurl.

4. Up until last year, I owned a plant that had thrived under my care for more than thirty years. The woman who gave it to me found it as a young stick, planted it, and watched it sprout leaves. I watered it regularly, re-potted it several times, and periodically fed it plant food. Over time, its leaves started to turn brown and curly at the ends. Slowly, it became an eyesore. One day, I up and decided that was the end. Putting it out of its misery was better than torture.

5. When I was little, I had a huge collection of stuffed animals. I often had pretend conversations with them, carried a different one around with me, and slept with my favorite ones until my teens. When my cousin came to visit, we'd play animal hospital, a game of my own invention. Naturally, we were the doctors. We'd powder and diaper them, wrap ace bandages around their limbs, and stick them in slings. Over the years, I pared down the collection, but never had the heart to give them all away. My children lost interest in them by the age of five. Many are still stored downstairs in my basement.

6. Much to the chagrin of family members, I love to dance at concerts, get rowdy at football and basketball games, and become inebriated at parties.

Wow. That was cathartic. My load has been lightened. Tag, you're it. Now get busy!

Update: About a half hour after I published this article, I found the following Twittervision from temptalia in California.



Kind of freaky, no? I don't know anyone named Roselyn.

The Spewker is Going Dark Until February 4, 2008

This is the last article on The Spewker until February 4, 2008. If you could see my house, you'd know why.

The dishes are no longer simply piling up in the sink. This morning I saw creepy little bugs crawling around the dish drainer. And the laundry! Don't get me started on the laundry. There's always another pile that needs sorting and washing. Maybe I could see the light of day if the children would hang up all the clothes they pull from their closets and reject. But since they're too lazy to put clean clothes back on the hangers, and since they clean up their rooms by stuffing all the clothes scattered across their floors in their laundry baskets, I think I'd better start getting used to the dark.

Mind you, I would hang the darn clothes up myself if they didn't stew with the stanky stuff for umpteen days. Their laundry baskets are filled with gym socks, underwear, and moldy looking junk I can't decipher. I'd beat the kids silly and take away their cell phones if I thought it would change their scuzzy hygiene habits. Where did they learn such infuriatingly disgusting habits, I wonder. Oh. Right. Our house. Never mind.

I'm also starting to have nightmares about the inch and a half of dust building up on the heating baseboards. Is something like that bad for one's health? I know. I know. I should hire a cleaning service. Well, good services are hard to find. The last one I had drove me to drink. Constant new personnel, interminable lateness, and couldn't care less attitudes. I kissed them goodbye without so much as a whimper.

Ah, navel gazing. Thrilling for the writer to unload, boring for readers to view. I'll bet half the people who started this article surfed to something else after my diatribe against the children. Were you one of them?

Oh, crimey, you couldn't be one of them if you made it this far, now could you? I don't know what's more stupid, me asking a question like that or someone responding to it.

Mona is now nudging me saying this article is truly starting to sound weird. "If you don't stop," she's warning me, "we're going to lose a lot of subscribers." Moan has a tendency to be right about such things, so I suppose I will stop. If I've offended anyone, I sincerely apologize and beg forgiveness. It worked for Gene Simmons with The Donald, right?

A few random thoughts before I sign off for the rest of this month.

Conservative talk radio blows. No, I mean it. It didn't before, but now it does. It's like all the conservative talk show hosts have bandied together and decided the only Republican candidates that make sense to them are Romney and Thompson. Maybe, maybe Giuliani if he would just get out there and campaign in the early primary states. The votes of little states don't seem to figure into Rudy's political strategy, or so they say. Not wanting to look positively thick, the conservatrons are barely mentioning his name. Rudy is not out of this race, fellahs, remember that!

Also, I'm getting fed up hearing every single one of them say, "I still think Hillary is going to become the nominee, even though I don't want her to become the nominee, I really think she's going to get the nomination." Those blithering idiots! If they really didn't want Billary to become the nominee, none of them would be saying that. Every single one of them would be too scared to come out with such a prediction for fear of being wrong. They're only repeating the Billary mantra because they want the Democrats to nominate her. They know she can't win against any of the Republicans and that's a fact.

Believe it or not, and I say this most sincerely, Obama at least has a shot at becoming our next president. He's likeable, his sound bites are right, and he plays to his own party. Hardly any Dem is going to jump ship if Obama becomes the nominee. That's exactly what the conservative talk show hosts are afraid of, mark my words.

Moving on. The presidential election. I've decided to stop blogging about it. My thoughts about the election and the candidates are pissing too many people off, probably because I'm such a moderate. I don't understand where these people are coming from. My legal training allows me to see both sides of a controversy without becoming emotionally invested. Not so for the majority of people I've met on the Internet. Either I agree with them and align myself with their point of view, or they target me as the enemy. Divisive politics is counterproductive, antithetical to my inherent nature as a people person, and not worth the animosity it engenders. I'm tempted to remove all the "political commentary" articles from the topix list in this blog, but that would be capitulating to the bullies. One thing about yours truly, I don't back down on issues I truly believe in and care about.

In fact, I care so passionately about these issues -- *sniff* *sniff* -- I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing if I didn't *sniff* *sniff* care about these things so very passionately. I'm only trying *sniff* *sniff* to help *sniffle* the American people (smattering of water in the eyes) when I blog about political issues *sniff* because I care so unbelievably passionately (clearing throat) and want to make the world a better place for the children, the dear precious children, bless their tiny little hearts and souls.

Finally, social media. It's huge, very powerful and impressive. Each day I become more emersed in it, I am energized by a newfound ability to reach people from all walks of life and nationalities. I don't have to actually meet these people. I only have to somehow connect with them. When I do I feel the same way as if we had connected at a bar or a convention. Sometimes such chance encounters become lasting friendships. I'm debating whether to post articles about social media when I return. They wouldn't be research or anything intellectual, just my own thoughts and impressions. If anyone is still reading this article, let me know what you think about social media and whether you think it may compliment the existing "American media" category here at The Spewker.

Thank you, whoever is left, for your interest, time, and patience. Please subscribe or bookmark this site and return on February 4th. You won't regret making the commitment, I promise.

Update: 2.25.08 The 2008 presidential election has been way too exciting to ignore. Despite my best efforts, I continue to blog about it. If the articles piss people off, so be it. At the end of the day, I have to be true to myself. Besides, I'm a believer in the cliche, if you build it they will come. There's a place for a political moderate on the Internet. The Spewker should be a place similarly minded people can call home.

Saudi Blogger Remains in Jail and Other Undigested Blips

Undigested fragments belched while out and about in the news...

1. Did anyone actually see the movie Underdog, or is it just going straight to DVD? As a kid, I never missed the cartoon. As an adult, I don’t recall any advertisements.

2. Kissing the ground of this democracy and silently reciting the pledge of allegiance as I read about the Saudi blogger who remains in jail for daring to publish his name alongside his opinions.

3. When only 41 members of the National Society of Film Critics decide who gets the awards, that isn’t news. It’s a coffee klatch.

4. Can we treat 2008 as the year we stopped caring about "Unfitney"? No? Didn’t think so, just thought it was worth asking.

5. Do you Bebo? Maybe you should.

6. Democratic candidate Dennis Kucinich honestly thought Iowans would make him their first choice for President. No wonder he’s the only person in Congress who admits to seeing a UFO.

7. Anyone who still thinks the top three Democratic presidential candidates can refrain from personal attacks please take one step forward. There’s a growing demand for consumer sheeple in the tanking American economy.

8. Oh, for goodness sakes. No one in their right mind is going to waste what little time is left in 2008 trying to impeach the President and/or Vice President. Quitcher belly aching and get back to work.

9. Quick, all you low-tech people who don’t have cable subscriptions, only 22 million vouchers left and they’re going fast. I wonder what the feds did to publicize this program. Decided to lend a helping hand, just in case they were too busy trying to defend the President.

10. Two male guinea pigs in a cage with one igloo hideaway make an awful lot of noise. Guess it’s time to buy a bigger cage that can fit a second igloo.

Anonymous Comments Rile Ire: A Rebuttal to Criticism of Hillary Clinton Article

BlogCritics online magazine accepts articles from this blogger on a variety of topics. Last week, the publishers were kind enough to run a very controversial article against Hillary Clinton. The criticism continues to mount, not all of it pleasant. Actually, I am being too nice. Some comments have been vile, hateful, abusive, and have added nothing of substance to the discussion.

As stated many times, I don’t mind when people disagree with me. All I ask is for civility and professionalism. Apparently, this is asking too much from certain Internet users.

Comments are emerging as the last refuge of negative decorum. Some people not only are using the annonymity of the Internet to take pot shots at bloggers, but to add insult to injury, doing so without contact information. Like a driveby shooting, they take aim, fire, then flee into oblivion.

My last responsive comment at BlogCritics clearly states I will no longer respond to comments. I have, however, taken the time and trouble to respond to people privately. Yesterday, someone using the moniker “SamI Am” respectfully criticized the basis for my article, but did not provide any contact information. Likewise, my article about the hostage situation at Clinton Campaign headquarters drew a scathing comment from “Anonymous.”

For the record, if SamI Am and Anonymous had the courtesy to comment with contact information, I would not be writing this article. Anyone who virulently attacks an author should at least have the decency to provide contact information. People who take pot shots in the dark are cowards. My readers deserve better.

On the other hand, my readers also deserve not to slog through this babble. For those of you who prefer something with more flair, might I suggest a woodsy merlot.

Okay, let's get started. SamI Am comments at BlogCritics:


If I used "old attacks" to criticize She Who Should Not Be Named, did it ever occur to SamI Am that maybe -- just maybe -- there are some substance to these attacks? Why do so many people attack the Clintons in this manner? Could it be because the attacks are true? Heaven forbid, the attacks are old! My attacks are not recycled hash, merely restated facts to support my position. Hillary Clinton is not fit to be President. Other candidates are not taken to task for every reason stated in my article. I challenge SamI Am to provide links showing otherwise. Yes, maybe one could level one or two of the attacks at certain candidates, but all seven of my points?! I think not.

I have no idea what "'Arkansas Project' fantasies" are. My article merely cites testimony from numerous witnesses about the Clinton track record of intimidation, marginalization, and fear of elimination. Is everyone lying except the Clintons? I suppose everyone was also lying except O.J. Oh, but then he went ahead and wrote that confession. Just when it looked like he might actually get away with whatever he claims not to have done unless he did it.


I don't think SamI Am read my article. It says nothing about ambition or being overly ambititious. Instead, Clinton is portrayed as a do-nothing junior senator who used the State of New York as a stepping stone to the office of President. She has never lead any major organization or company. Contrast that to Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico and former Secretary of Energy; Joe Biden, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Chris Dodd, Chairman of the Senate Banking and Finance Committee; or Dennis Kucinich, former Mayor of Cleveland. Clinton has a failing record on the only major project she ever ran, her lamentable attempt to rehaul national health care. Also, if recovery from stumbles is the way to measure candidates, then Clinton rates a big fat zero. Other than her own self-serving accomplishments such as attending prestigious universities and winning election to the U.S. Senate, I challenge SamI Am to reference any position of leadership maintained by Hillary Clinton.


At least SamI Am is civil. I admire that. I humbly accept the label of "shallow" for my intense dislike of this candidate. However, my article is not shallow. On the contrary, the first five reasons for my opinion are supported with numerous factual examples. Additionally, SamI Am's criticism does nothing to discredit my opinion. Hillary's marriage to Bubba is in name only. His numerous affairs and womanizing practically scream "sham marriage" whether or not SamI Am cares to admit it. Likewise, Hillary's desire to transform America into a socialist nation is blatantly apparent in her book, It Takes A Village. This drivel reminds me of utopias gone bad. The idea sounds good in theory, but in practicality, all socialist societies are on the way to or eventually become dictatorships. No thank you.

Items and ideas long since dealt with and dismissed as the product of political enemies? Hoo boy! Does SamI Am honestly believe in the whole "vast right wing conspiracy?" If so, there's a bridge in Brooklyn for sale. No other Democratic candidate has suffered so many individual eye witness accounts of immorality, vicious behavior, cover-ups, outright lies, and deaths of close associates. One or two disgruntled employees with an axe to grind? Dismissed. Three or four political enemies with an agenda? Also dismissed. Over twenty-five dead people, missing archives, five or six campaign financing lapses, at least five examples of two-sided issue support, coupled with at least three reputable non-biased non-agenda driven accounts of mistreatment and ruthless behavior? Sorry. Not dismissed. Worthy of credibility.

SamI Am needs to wake up and smell the coffee. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, talks like a duck, and takes a dump like a duck, it's a duck. SamI Am would prefer to think of it as a turkey, I suppose, perhaps one deserving a pardon. No can do. No Thanksgiving pardons until after the election.


Restating truthful facts originally articulated by others is not a bad thing. Restating the truth prevents the Clinton machinery from reshaping itself into something respectful and worthy of support. If SamI Am wishes to dismiss the truth, that is SamI Am's perogative. SamI Am can believe whatever SamI Am wants to believe just as children are allowed to believe in Santa Claus and The Toothfairy. Also, the article was not sexist. Believe me, I think the same thing and worse about hubby Bubba.

I will part from the SamI Am commentary by reminding anyone who has read this far about the gist of my article. It was not written to support any particular candidate, rather, I wrote the article to prod Americans to vote their conscience in the primary election. A hop on a Hillary bandwagon -- when in fact there is no bandwagon -- is misguided and ultimately destructive to the principles of democracy.

On to Anonymous: Sweetheart, whoever you are, you really have issues.

Anonymous commented on an article unrelated to Hillary's polling problems. Instead, the article provided a summary report about the developing hostage situation at Hillary's campaign headquarters in Rochester, New Hampshire.

"Hillary knows she's got trouble in the latest polls. That's why she's in Vienna, Virginia today for a Democratic pow-wow rather than her campaign headquarters in Rochester, New Hamphire." That is all the article said about Hillary, her presence in Vienna, Virgina, and her recent polling results.

For this, Anonymous tries to rake me over the coals for taking "cheap shots" and "manufacturing false logic." How far off a limb should one sink to get so down and dirty? Anonymous takes the art of low to a whole new level.

What other Democratic candidates were at the strategy session in Vienna, Virginia? Does Anonymous even know? Anonymous does not link to any sources. I hereby send out a challenge to anyone for proof of other Democratic candidates presence at this meeting. Did a majority of them attend? Find the facts and ye shall be rewarded.

No one can dispute Hillary's recent problems in the polls. I, for one, place no reliance in polls because they are notoriously incorrect. Nonetheless, the statement is factual and supported with a link to facts. Hillary's numbers are sinking and therefore, they are troubling. To her. Prove otherwise, Anonymous, I dare you. Can't? Didn't think so.

Cheap shot, indeed.

Chris Crocker Viral Meme Rocks YouTube

I'm finally starting to get this whole viral video fad. One video strikes a chord, then everyone claws for a piece of it. They tweak, they change, parody, and spit. Each time a new short goes up, someone decides they can do one better, or different, or in some cases, not anywhere near as good, but perhaps still funny.

Let's all pile into that phone booth, now. Ready, set.....oooomph!

Such is the case with Chris Crocker, latest Internet phenom, direct from his ItsChrisCrocker channel on YouTube. Yes, happy little Chris is ditching the Internet (or so some vloggers hope) for bigger and brighter places: your television set. Poor computer deprived or otherwise oblivious people have no idea what television nimwits have lying in wait. In the interests of time, rather than try to describe how Chris's fifteen minutes came into existence, feast your eyes on my Cette Semaine du Spewed Videos feature below. There, you will get a condensed version of the Chris Crocker After School Special. Next stop, the Hallmark channel.

Sweet Chrissy is fielding a lot of flack for uploading videos faster than Britney Spears can spit out children. Mainstream vloggers are up in arms over the amount of viewing time Crocker videos and their progeny receive. They actually blame Crocker for diverting attention from their "regular more homey" videos.

I suppose these bad feelings have something to do with the content of Crocker videos or the acting. Serious vloggers have panned them as blather. While somewhat entertaining, in all honesty, I have to agree. The same thing that makes drivers rubberneck at a traffic accident makes Internet users watch Crocker vids and virals.

But could it also be that Chris's blatant homosexuality and obvious emotional problems rub mainstream vloggers the wrong way? If so, then I'd have to say more is brewing over at YouTube than the emergence of a new Internet celebrity. The folks in charge would be wise to keep a tight lid on the uploads before some members become known as the "YouTube Six."

My first thought was to catach the viral wave and upload my own Crocker meme, but then, reality set in. I'm a grown-up with real grown-up responsibilities. I don't have time to produce such nonsense. Besides, the outbreak is about done. There is no variance on the meme that hasn't been done before, or at least one hopes. For once, I agree with the cute little mouse puppet. "It's over. It's done. Move on!!"

Still, the virals keep slogging in. I had to cut off my playlist at ninety-nine. In the history of YouTube, I think that's the most any video has ever viraled. If anyone knows of another, I'd love to hear about it.

I have decided to link the virals to this article, just in case someone wanted to watch the full length feature movie. If you manage to catch the anti-Chrissy vids, let me know whether you think the YouTube mainstream are spinning off their crocker.

New Networking Site Says "Paid for Page Views"

I love Facebook. Clean. Intelligent. Active. Plenty of free applications. I see so much good content there. The networking possibilities are endless. Never had time for MySpace, mainly because it would require too much effort to get noticed. I'd rather blog.

Someone else liked the idea behind Facebook and MySpace and decided to tweak it times ten. It's still in Beta, but already, word is making its way around the Internet. The idea behind Yuwie is to pay people for the same thing they do on Facebook or MySpace. Then The Y Guy and company pimped the concept one step further. Members get paid for using the site AND for content they create when it is viewed by other members.

The concept is pretty simple actually. Yuwie pays for page views. How much they will pay depends upon their own advertising revenue and how many times you view content and get other members to view your content. If you don't plan on viewing any content yourself, you can still get paid. In theory. Kinda cool.

Pretty soon, everyone online will migrate over there just to see if they can really get paid, and then you'll start to see articles about whether people are really getting paid. Until then, it's anyone's guess, so I figured, why not?

I've got nothing better to do than chase rainbows.

Anyone who wants to join me in this experiment, feel free. I will answer any comments posted here if you have questions or just want to spew.

Bloggers Will Help Shape Election 2008

I am blogger, hear me roar, in numbers too big to ignore.

No, I am not just parroting Helen Reddy.

Without a doubt, 2008 has the greatest potential to go down in history as the year Netroots slammed a monkey wrench in the mainstream political machinery. Wherever I look, bloggers are taking names and kicking patooty.

Just look at this clip from the YearlyKos Convention. A liberal cache of bloggers utilizing name recognition from DailyKos managed to secure the attendance of top Democratic leaders as well as presidential candidates. The convention’s panel rivaled anything coming out of today’s Iowa debate. In contrast, CNN has yet to secure commitments for its YouTube Republican forum (major Republican candidates are still on the fence).

Is this a great country, or what? Anyone with an opinion and a keyboard can join the media elite to help shape the course of America.

Ellen Goodman and Bill O’Reilly are two recent examples of national newsmakers with ears pinned to the ground. Colleagues who choose to ignore the telltale signs of an encroaching political blogoshpere risk becoming the twenty-first century media dinosaurs. I feel sorry for stalwart journalists unable to see what’s hurtling down the pike. Not.

Like so many other bloggers devoting their time and energy to the Internet, I grew weary and leery of the national news media. I want facts, just the facts, ma’am. If I wanted opinions, I could read editorials. If I wanted to be influenced by American conglomerates, I could read the New York Times. If I wanted sound bytes, I could watch YouTube. I mean, why watch the CBS Evening News when Comedy Central has similar content with better irreverence? It’s all commentary.

Bloggers know America can and will do a better job of story reporting. This nation prospered because freedom played a major role in its development. More and more, however, these freedoms are being curtailed. By the media, by the government, by radical fringe elements on both sides of the political spectrum. It's time to take back America. Serious bloggers are willing to oblige.

These are incredibly exciting times. With the advent of the Internet, Americans can once again participate in a true democracy. We can report information free from hidden agendas. We can try to influence opinion. It’s not a perfect medium, far from it, but at least a large portion of the blogosphere is being penned at the hands of Americans.

Power to the bloggers! Power to a truly free press! In the words of our beloved sixteenth President, Abraham Lincoln, "…government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

More Political Articles

The Fair Review

Joining a blog community is supposed to be a good thing. Increased exposure. New friends. Constructive feedback. I am only too happy to participate. I found what appears to be a good site, became friends with the first person I found loitering on my page, and instantly became part of a new community. What could be bad about all this?

Well, the jury is still out. Like the predecessor of Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Ark, perhaps I did not choose wisely. Although, right now, all I am saying is, “Give Rhys a chance.”

That’s right. My new friend, Rhys, hailing all the way from across the pond, recently launched a feature called, of all things, The Fair Review. In exchange for reviewing a suggested blog, I can submit my link to his directory and expect a prominent listing. What a magical idea. At least the way Rhys describes it.

Can this be true, Rhys? Because I have to say, the blog I reviewed wasn’t worth its own bandwidth. The best thing I can say is the pink design is good and…well…that’s about the best thing I can say. For starters, I couldn’t figure out the logo. And grammatically incorrect personal reflections of someone I don’t know and probably won’t have enough time to get to know do not appeal to me.

What would I do if I found a massive amount of money in my account? JK, right? At least give me a reason to waste time with these trivial musings. Inform me. Entertain me. Seriously consider an appropriately placed picture. But do something more than creative navel gazing. Rhys and company are too kind to you. Wake up and smell the java. A time to retool and a time to lay down. A time to turn, turn, turn, turn…

I don’t want to out the blog that belongs in a cheerleader’s palms. As the new kid on the block with much at stake, I’m already shooting myself in the foot. Thank goodness for friends like Rhys, or this blogger might not have anyone dropping by for tea and crumpets. My sincerest apologies, but don’t wait around for me.

Now that was an honest review. I’m ready for my listing now, Mr. DeMille.

Goatse is a Hoax and Other Internet Disinformation

I had originally planned to do another article about a strange Internet phenomenon called Goatse. To cool Internet people, goatse is yesterday’s news. Me? Never heard of it. Luckily, a person can google just about anything. I quickly learned more than I’ll ever need or want to know about this most disgusting, revolting, sophomoric, cannot look away online experience, otherwise known as goatse.

For those with weak stomachs or traditionally strong moral values, please stop reading this article. In the end, you will be incredibly offended and/or sickened, and I will feel quite guilty for offending and/or sickening you. For everyone’s sake, surf away. Surf away and never look back.

Still here? Think you can take it? Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Anyway, as I tried to say earlier, this article is no longer about a strange virtual reality phenomenon. Not that goatse, or its gerund form, goatsing, are anything but strange. No, no, no. Just the opposite. To be polite, I will call it the stretching of a private body part not meant to be stretched, leaving it so distorted and disgusting, and the front part of the body so revolting and distended…well…I’m not going to belabor this…

Click here if you have nerves of steel and want to be goatsed.

Apparently, the phenomenon became so huge the image disappeared from the original goatse site. I think someone complained. The poor thing is now up for sale. Isn’t that always the case? Just when the party gets rolling, cops show up and it’s time to go home. Luckily, someone else picked up the banner. Otherwise, those who thought they had nerves of steel would not be uncomfortably writhing in their seats.

Two days ago, as I began searching for blogging communities, I happened upon a story on Digg.com that had been dug by more than 2,000 people (now over 3,600). That’s a significant amount. Naturally, I wanted to know what the fuss was about. I checked out the story.

Some person from beginnorth.com claimed the candidates on the CNN YouTube Democratic Debate got goatsed for about 1/24 of a second. When people start talking about images projected for fractions of seconds, I can’t help but visualize SNL’s Mr. Subliminal. Kevin Nealon certainly had a way with split seconds.

According to beginnorth's article, the goatse image caused Hillary's face to sour. I didn’t have a chance to watch the debates, so I don't know whether Hill pussed or not. It sounded a little odd that something so split second actually produced a reaction, but I guess it's been known to happen. Beginnorth cleverly uploaded an image with goatse on CNN's screen, and asked other bloggers to confirm the goatse. Some did. One was a CBS affiliate in Minot, North Dakota.

What great fodder for my blog, I thought, but couldn’t find any more stories. I spent the next two days tooling around my site and joining communities. Goatse landed on the back burner for later development.

Lo and behold, when I finally returned, the goatse story was buried. Basically, people crushed it into the ground, stomping it like a cigarette, and grinding it into a pulp. Bloggers were angry. Why?

Well, goatse was a hoax. Kindy catchy. Goatse was a hoax that had no blokes. Its friend had a yen to create dead ends. Its deal made me squeal….oh….never mind.

Not only was the whole story a hoax, but its creator later transferred the story to their blog. What I mean is, the original Digg story was not on the person’s blog. I know this because I viewed it myself. The story appeared all by itself on a white page with no links. That alone was a little weird, but newbie me didn’t catch it. Two days later, the story was on the person’s blog on a black page. That blog contains this introduction:

“[Strange blog that no self-respecting blogger will ever read again] is a new blog that is part artistic experiment and part haven for the surreal side of our world. There will be articles, fake and real, but the glue that holds the blog together are the [pun on blog name] that make it up. A detail is simply a bizarre twist on reality. It can be a story or a picture. Fake or real. Funny or scary. Anything.”

Excuse me? Anything? Fake and real? How are people supposed to know the difference? Why don’t we all just close our eyes and dream the news? I hear lucid dreaming is the new black.

Graphics whore rode in on a white horse to defend bizarro blogger’s honor. Calling people sheeple, the person said everyone should have read the front page disclaimer before treating the story as a true news item.

"To me," posted grphxo, "the really provocative parts of this article are not within the article itself, but are the astoundingly clear examples of terrifying human behavior. The fact that many people (even though they watched the entire debate live and never saw the goatse image) believed it to be true. They took their own experience, their own FIRST HAND KNOWLEDGE of the event and toss it out, substituting an internet claim for their own reality, swallowing the fake with ease. Some even claimed “I thought I saw something!” to cover the possibility that they might have missed it."

Problem is, the original story was not on bizarro’s blog. Whoops. Minor detail.

Like I said before, the Internet is turning our society into phishers and byters. One cannot necessarily believe what one reads on the Internet. Some disinformation is accidental, and some, as seen here, is unfortunately intentional. Bloggers have a duty to check out all the facts before posting an article. The new media must take its cues from old media. Fact checking is a basic tenet of journalism. Bloggers must have integrity. If the facts don’t check out, then say it’s alleged. Don’t just copy a bizarro blog item and publish it as your own.

For those who are disappointed this wasn’t an article about goatse on CNN, I have a surprise for you. Again, big disclaimer. This time run, do not walk to your nearest exit.

Do not look at this image if you were the least bit offended or sickened by goatse!

There. I wipe my hands of it.

Click to see Spewed Videos du Jour.

Media Big Lights Shine on Jet Set Show

The internet is my generation's brave new world. As I spend more of my free time in cyberspace, I can't help but notice an emerging new form of media. Is my blogging badge flashing? Feel free to surf if this is old news.

No, I'm not talking about chat rooms, instant messaging, or more of the same old same old packaged to look like new (like podcasts from World News Tonight...do they even know about podcasts...nevermind). I'm talking about the next level of broadcasting where basically anyone with something worthwhile to say can find an audience. In a nutshell, a new vehicle to gather the masses and create a unique sphere of influence.

This morning, as I pondered this development, I thought up a new phrase. At least I think it's new. Perhaps even catchy. I've decided to refer to anyone or anything with legs in this new media as have channel or got channel as in, "that girl's got channel," or "they really have channel," or "that news anchor doesn't have channel," like, "Go switch that channel." Right after I publish this post, I plan to do a Wikisearch just to see whether someone else grabbed the naming rights. If not, it just may be worth trying to coin this phrase.

That pretty much would eat up whatever free time I have left for today.

But I digress. This post is supposed to be about the Jet Set Show, not some corny phrase I'm trying to ignite (like fetch from Mean Girls, my efforts likely will be for naught).

The Jet Set Show is more than just a videoblog. It's an emerging social network in the guise of web digest light fueled by pop culture news, games, contests, entertainment, and just a touch of je ne sais qua. Steering the minions through unchartered waters is Zadi (pronounced zah-dee for those of you inclined to pronounce as zay-dee... you know who you are...), this generation's incarnation of pretty and perky. Zadi's got channel. In spades.

Apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks so because a whole new virtual reality is taking root and beginning to blossom over there. Jet Set boasts numbers of 50,000, but I think their subscribers are way more than that. Zadi recently said they're looking for new correspondents, which in my mind means if they can pay a salary, they've arrived. Or got channel. Whichever floats your boat.

Click to see Spewed Videos du Jour.