.| UrbanNerd |.

William J. Bennett and Alan M. Dershowitz of the Washington post boldly declared today that the press failed to do it’s duty by not printing the Muhammad cartoon. There is only one slight problem here: The Washington Post didn’t publish the Muhammad cartoon!

There was a time when the press was the strongest guardian of free expression in this democracy. Stories and celebrations of intrepid and courageous reporters are many within the press corps. Cases such as New York Times v. Sullivan in the 1960s were litigated so that the press could report on and examine public officials with the unfettered reporting a free people deserved. In the 1970s the Pentagon Papers case reaffirmed the proposition that issues of public importance were fully protected by the First Amendment.

The mass media that backed the plaintiffs in these cases understood that not only did a free press have a right to report on critical issues and people of the day but that citizens had a right to know about those issues and people. The mass media understood another thing: They had more than a right; they had a duty to report.

We two come from different political and philosophical perspectives, but on this we agree: Over the past few weeks, the press has betrayed not only its duties but its responsibilities. To our knowledge, only three print newspapers have followed their true calling: the Austin American-Statesman, the Philadelphia Inquirer and the New York Sun. What have they done? They simply printed cartoons that were at the center of widespread turmoil among Muslims over depictions of the prophet Muhammad. These papers did their duty.

Jessica Rabbit isn’t welcome in China — and Michael Jordan shouldn’t show up with any of his Looney Toons pals.

In one of the more bizarre orders from China’s State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, TV shows and films featuring human thesps with animated companions will be banned.

“These human live-action, so-called animation pieces will not receive distribution or distribution licenses,” read the order, issued Feb. 15. However, films and shows that have already received permits will continue to air.

CGI and 2-D characters alongside human actors jeopardize “the broadcast order of homemade animation and mislead their development,” according to a report from the state-run Xinhua News Agency.

Full story here

Internet Giant Said to Face Probe for Operating Without License

BEIJING, Feb. 21 — A state-run newspaper reported Tuesday that Google Inc. is under investigation for operating without a proper license in China and quoted an unnamed government official as saying the Internet giant needs to cooperate further with the authorities in blocking “harmful information” from its search results.

The report, in the Beijing News, was published the same day that another state newspaper ran a harshly worded editorial about Google. The paper accused the firm of sneaking into China like an “uninvited guest” and then making a fuss about being required to follow Chinese law and cooperate in censoring search results such as pornography.

The unusually bold attacks in the state media suggest that the Chinese government is unhappy with Google’s efforts thus far to filter politically sensitive results from its popular search engine in China, and that its ability to do business in the country may be in jeopardy.

Google’s cooperation with the Chinese government in censoring the Internet has already sparked outrage from free speech advocates and U.S. lawmakers who accuse it of betraying its corporate motto, “Don’t be evil.” The firm announced last month that it was launching a censored search engine, Google.cn, to improve its service in China, where its regular site and its search results are sometimes blocked.

I have been playing poker, and online poker for awhile now, and found that alot of the tricks and tips I have gotten over the years have actually improved my game by atleast 80%. I figured, being the nice guy I am, I would share some of the knowledge with you if this was something that you were interested in, and hopefully make you better as well.

Online Poker 101 – A Beginners Guide

On a weekly basis this column will present you with the “Do’s and Dont’s” of online poker.
This is one mans insight, with roughly 2 years of playing online poker at varies websites.

Do NOT Play Poker Online until you learn:

– How to cheat by knowing others’ cards
– How to spot cheaters and avoid cheating tables

- How to cheat by knowing others’ cards

It is not possible to know everyone’s cards, BUT if you have a friend at the table,you can easily share what cards you have by IM or telephone. This information gives you an edge against other players. You can also collude with each other in order to bet and raise people out of pots, even if you don’t have good cards. For example, if you are sitting 2 seats before the button and your friend is sitting on the button and no one has called in ront of you, you can raise 2 bets and your friend can 3 bet before the flop. 90% of the time, no one will call and you will steal the blinds. If you are sitting across the table from each other, you can help trap others in the hand when either player hits a strong hand. For example, say you flop the nuts. You are in early position and you bet. If there are callers behind you, your friend can raise the pot for you after they call. You can either smooth call or re-raise to increase the pot. In order to trap players, you need to have other players between you. I don’t condone cheating in poker and if you get caught, you will forfeit all of your money in your account. The only reason I teach you this is to bring up my next point.

- How to spot cheaters and avoid cheating tables

With over 50,000 players at the larger poker sites, there are bound to be friends that are cheating and it is almost impossible for the poker sites to police. So you have to be a smart player and look out for yourself. Fortunately, all cheaters are out to make an easy buck so it’s not too difficult to spot them. As you learned above, if you ever notice 2 players that play hands often together, you should take notice and report them to the casino. High stakes limit (10/20 and up) and high stakes no limit ($400 and up) are much more likely to have cheaters, so if you play these stakes, and then you should be extra careful. I would especially avoid high stakes no limit tables online.

Next weeks column will deal with “How to make a profit from deposit bonuses” and
“How to win consistently by following the 80/20 rule”. Until then, money won is
better then money earned!

I wrote about this over at Vespaway.com, but this is one message that is worth repeating here as well:

Owning a scooter is a political statement. It is not politics in the way that Republicans or Democrats define them. You are neither hippie nor elitist because you drive a scooter. No, the new breed of scooterist is a true utilitarian. We drive these bikes because they get us from point A to point B fast & because they cost less money to fuel up than cars do. For urban dwellers like myself, scooters are THE most superior, efficient, quickest way to get around the city. No other transportation method can compete with in the urban traffic snarl. In most cases scooter cost less than the bus or the train. And the bus & train don’t drop you off at the front door… but your scooter does!

It is my mission in life to further the political agenda of scootering. All scooters are good (even non Vespas), because every scooter that is sold in America today raises the awareness of others about scootering. Every scooter sold empowers another American to be more independent, and take control over gas prices, tolls, & traffic.

But we are at the precipice of a critical time in scootering history in America. I do not believe there has been any other time in American history when so many scooters have been sold to the American public. The numbers of scooterist are growing in America. But in the urban centers of this country, we have not reached a point at which our voices are being heard. There are enough scooterist around to be unhappy with the lack of parking but not enough to be considered a valued constituent.

All of this will change over time. The next few years will be rough, but as the ranks grow (and they WILL grow), we will be noticed. Actions taken like the one today by Vespa will begin to raise our profile. Like any other movement whose message is right, we need to speak out.

I do not have any images of the ad that Vespa placed in the NY Times yet, but the text of the ad follows below:

February 21, 2006

Open letter to all U.S. mayors concerned with America’s oil consumption

To attain the ambitious goal of breaking America’s “addiction to oil,” the President has recently focused on the need to invest in alternative fuel technologies. However, there is also a behavioral approach that could greatly reduce this nation’s energy consumption, while helping to preserve our environment and reduce traffic congestion.

The use of motor scooters – a daily behavior of millions of people across Europe and Asia – is only marginally embraced in the United States. Everyday in this country, millions of individuals drive their cars in locations and situations where motor scooters would be perfectly appropriate and convenient. Instead, if they were to utilize one of the latest eco-friendly motor scooters available in the market today – those compliant with the most stringent European and American regulations on gas emissions – they would, on average, reduce their fuel consumption by 58%, their emissions of carbon monoxide by 90%, and their emissions of carbon dioxide by 80%.

With the launch of the first Vespa in 1946, our company started a movement that has substantively improved transportation in countries around the world. Consistent with the President’s energy utilization goals, we believe the time has come to expand the range of transportation solutions also in the United States.

We encourage you to broaden the dialogue about energy self-sufficiency to include both technological solutions and behavioral ones, fostering acceptance of alternative transportation, such as scootering. With your support – as well as that of other federal, state and local government leaders – scootering would bring immediate and substantial economic and environmental benefits to Americans and the communities in which they live.

We remain at your disposal should you wish to discuss this opportunity further.

Sincerely,
Paolo Timoni
President and CEO
Piaggio Group Americas

I have seen some crazy things happen in politics of late. But, Vice Presidential drive by shootings not withstanding, this is truly odd.

WASHINGTON – Two Republican governors are threatening legal action to block an Arab company from taking over operations in major U.S. ports and some GOP lawmakers say the deal should be closely examined.

New York Gov. George Pataki and Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich on Monday voiced doubts about the acquisition of a British company that has been running six U.S. ports by Dubai Ports World, a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates.

Public fears that the nation’s ports are not properly protected, combined with the news of an Arab country’s takeover of six major ports, proved a combustible mix.

Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina said on Fox News Sunday that the administration approval was “unbelievably tone deaf politically.” GOP Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia said on ABC’s “This Week,” “It’s a tough one to explain, but we’re in a global economy. … I think we need to take a very close look at it.”

The Bush administration got support Monday from former President Carter, a Democrat and frequent critic of the administration.

“My presumption is, and my belief is, that the president and his secretary of state and the Defense Department and others have adequately cleared the Dubai government organization to manage these ports,” Carter told CNN. “I don’t think there’s any particular threat to our security.”

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands – There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but occasionally there’s free sluts everywhere.

Several topless bars, peep shows and sex show clubs in Amsterdam’s famed “Red Light” prostitution district have declared an open house on Feb. 18, hoping to shore up their reputation with local politicians who are calling for a crackdown.

“You can come in, have a free drink, look around,” said Bob de Maan, spokesman for the “Banana Bar,” which is known for its live sex shows.

“People think that this is something dirty, which, it is !But now – it’s an open house. They can see for themselves.”

Read the rest here

Watch a video of it here!

At today’s DS Conference 2006, Nintendo of Japan took its biggest strides yet toward unseating the Sony PSP as the handheld choice for multimedia with the revelation of two major new additions to the DS’s repertoire: touch-screen-based Web surfing and a TV tuner.

Even though the text is completely Kanji-fied, the images released by Nintendo still provide plenty of information. On the second-to-last page of the conference summary, the Web service is revealed (Opera) as well as a mock design of how it will work, with the touch screen displaying the page in full and the top screen serving as a magnification device.

Moving along to the last page shows the potential design for the TV tuner–can you say obstructive?–as well as some images in action. As you’d probably expect, the top screen displays the program while the bottom one acts as a rudimentary remote. Dang–I thought it’d let me draw myself into an episode of 24.

There’s no information right now regarding implementation of either service outside of Japan, but we will be sure to update you with new info as we attain it.

Source: Nintendo of Japan via Kotaku.

TORONTO — More than fifteen years after the Berlin Wall was shattered with hammers and bulldozers, a Canadian-designed computer program is preparing to break through what activists call the great firewall of China.

The program, in the late stages of development in a University of Toronto office, is designed to help those trapped behind the blocking and filtering systems set up by restrictive governments. If successful, it will equip volunteers in more open countries to help those on the other side of digital barriers, allowing a free flow of information and news into and out of even the most closed societies.

The program is part of a quiet war over freedom of information. Even as countries considered repressive, such as China, North Korea, Iran and Saudi Arabia, pour money into stopping the free exchange of data, small groups of activists keep looking for ways around the technological barriers.

At the University of Toronto, in the small basement office of Citizen Lab, researchers are getting ready for the release of Psiphon, the latest weapon in the fight.

“I was always interested in the idea of using computers for social and political change,” said Nart Villeneuve, who has been dabbling with the project for about two years. “It was a matter of creating a program for really non-technical people that was easy and effective.”

Psiphon is designed to eliminate a drawback of anti-filter programs: incriminating the users behind the firewall. If found by authorities, that anti-filter software can lead to coercive interrogation, a bid to uncover the suspect’s Internet travel secrets using a tactic known to insiders as “rubber-hose cryptoanalysis.”

The article continues here

The McCain political machine has started early this time out. I always thought he should have been the nominee in 2000, he is by far the best nominee the Republicans have. Of course the best candidate doesn’t always win. The primary process is such a closed process. For instance I am an independant and many states do not allow independents to vote in primary races. The party factions seem to mobilize the most radical base to come out on primary day. That causes canidates to cater to the extremes for votes, even though the Left & Right extremes are not what makes up this country’s populace as a whole. All it takes is one reasonable moderate condidate to get into office. So I am very much in support of McCain’s bid. Here are some details of his campaign so far:

Dan Balz turned in a boffo look at the John Weaver-led two-pronged approach Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is taking to winning the GOP’s 2008 nomination for Sunday’s Washington Post: first, he appears to be expanding his fundraising network, starting with Bush’s Rangers and Pioneers; second, he is building his political organization in key nominating states. LINK

Iowa: He skipped it last time “but cannot afford to do so again; an April trip on behalf of gubernatorial candidate Rep. Jim Nussle (R-IA) will help establish a beachhead in that state.” (We guess it is official: McCain ain’t skipping Iowa!!!)

New Hampshire: Team remains solid; beginning to attract supporters of the President.

South Carolina: “No state is getting more attention from McCain”; with the help of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) he is “systematically” meeting with Bush people.

Michigan: Seen as another prime target. McCain won the state in 2000 but Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA) “could be a threat.”

McCain’s upcoming schedule includes trips to New Hampshire, Iowa, Ohio, California, Florida, Minnesota, Arkansas, and New Jersey.

Be sure to read all the way through to the kicker: “[Mark] McKinnon is the only senior member of Bush’s team to commit publicly to McCain, but others are interested. One strategist, who played an instrumental role in the 2004 campaign but did not want to be identified because he is still looking at 2008 options, said, ‘I thought he would be a contender and a good general election nominee, but a year ago would not have thought I would be seriously considering being with him. Now I am.’”

By sheer coincidence, Time Magazine’s Red Line-riding Karen Tumulty looks at the GOP moneymen (like former Rep. Tom Loeffler, R-TX) coalescing around Sen. McCain. LINK

Be sure to Note Grover Norquist’s approval of McCain’s Obama smackdown and the “break” McCain caught last week when James Webb, Navy Secretary under Ronald Reagan, announced he would run as a Democrat against Sen. George Allen (R-VA).