O:9:"magpierss":24:{s:6:"parser";i:0;s:12:"current_item";a:0:{}s:5:"items";a:25:{i:0;a:10:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20640872.post-1144275659642116418";s:9:"published";s:29:"2007-03-02T11:28:00.000-07:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2007-03-02T20:49:06.703-07:00";s:5:"title";s:28:"Is she getting dooced?  Why?";s:12:"atom_content";s:2275:"Utah's very own <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dooce" target="new">Heather Armstrong</a> was fired since she complained about her work life on her blog.  Getting fired for blogging is referred to as getting "dooced" after Armstrong's blog, <a href="http://www.dooce.com/" target="new">Dooce</a>.<br /><br />Sarah of <a href="http://sarahbellumsn.blogspot.com/" target="new">tales of wit and charm...</a> in Utah is <a href="http://sarahbellumsn.blogspot.com/2007/03/dooced.html" target="new">beginning the dooce process</a> with her company.  They've asked her to stop blogging even though she has never mentioned her company or industry by name.  Blogging about work always requires caution, but I fail to see why this company is fretting about one of its employees who blogs.  Is it concerned that people who know her to the point that they also know who she works for will raise problems?  I don't know, but Sarah has clearly shown care in not revealing where she works.  It is one thing to ask her to stop blogging about work related issues -- even if she doesn't reveal anything specific, but why ask her to stop all of her blogging? <br /><br />Sarah, if your company asking to stop blogging about work related issues, do as it says.  If it is asking you to stop blogging completely, I'm with you completely that your company is out of line.<br /><br />Here's more coverage of this event:<br />SLCSpin - <a href="http://www.slcspin.com/?p=78" target="new">Some Want to Silence Bloggers</a><br />Utah Amicus - <a href="http://utahamicus.blogspot.com/2007/03/support-sarahs-freedom-of-speech.html" target="new">Support Sarah's Freedom of Speech</a><br />The World, According to Me - <a href="http://bobaagard.blogspot.com/2007/03/pink-weekend-for-sarah.html" target="new">Pink Weekend for Sarah</a><br />Random Meanderings and Other Meaningless Blather - <a href="http://meaningless-blather.blogspot.com/2007/03/since-when.html" target="new">Since When?</a><br />Davis Didjeridu - <a href="http://davisdidjeridu.blogspot.com/2007/03/blog-palooza-for-sarahbellum.html" target="new">Blog-a-palooza for SarahBellum!?</a><br />JM Bell - <a href="http://jmbell.org/blog/?p=277" target="new">Document from 1776 Censored for having too many amendments. Namely 1 (one)</a>";s:4:"link";s:79:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2007/03/shes-getting-dooced-but-why.html";s:12:"link_replies";s:156:"http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=20640872&postID=1144275659642116418http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/1144275659642116418/comments/default";s:9:"link_self";s:78:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/1144275659642116418";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/20640872/posts/default/1144275659642116418";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Steve";}i:1;a:10:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20640872.post-8729623238114046251";s:9:"published";s:29:"2007-02-22T14:04:00.000-07:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2007-02-22T14:10:11.837-07:00";s:5:"title";s:42:"Your Voice Matters: Divine Strake is Dead!";s:12:"atom_content";s:1001:"The <a href="http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2006/05/blogging-against-divine-strake-day.html">controversial non-nuclear Divine Strake testing</a> that could have kicked up toxic nuclear dust from a bomb test site in southern Nevada is canceled. <a href="http://www.sltrib.com/ci_5281799" target="new">A <span style="font-style:italic;">Salt Lake Tribune</span> article</a> reports that:<blockquote>Breaking under a flood of public opposition to Divine Strake, the Pentagon announced Thursday that it would scrap plans to conduct the massive blast at the Nevada Test Site.<br />Some 10,000 Utahns and Nevadans expressed fears that the detonation of 700 tons of explosives could spew debris into the air, carrying radiation left over from Cold War nuclear weapons tests at the test site.</blockquote>Yes, we in the public do matter.  The government does listen -- however rarely -- to us!<br /><br />Hat tip: <a href="http://peteashdown.org/journal/2007/02/22/dead/" target="new">Pete Ashdown</a>";s:4:"link";s:87:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2007/02/your-voice-matters-divine-strake-is.html";s:12:"link_replies";s:156:"http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=20640872&postID=8729623238114046251http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/8729623238114046251/comments/default";s:9:"link_self";s:78:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/8729623238114046251";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/20640872/posts/default/8729623238114046251";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Steve";}i:2;a:10:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20640872.post-7749671984864883349";s:9:"published";s:29:"2007-02-19T18:26:00.000-07:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2007-02-19T21:46:25.912-07:00";s:5:"title";s:40:"Gurus: Connecting is News Media's Future";s:12:"atom_content";s:3180:"Last week some of the world's foremost media thinkers converged at <a href="http://www.npr.org/ target="new"">NPR</a>'s headquarters in Washington, DC to help the radio network envision its future.  While the thinkers provided many suggestions, the one that resonated the most with me was the concept of connection.  A central theme of this event was that NPR needed to connect with its audience more and connect them together so that people with similar passions.<br /><br />The visiting experts -- with the exception of <a href="http://journalism.nyu.edu/pubzone/weblogs/pressthink/" target="new">Press Think</a> blogger and NYU professor Jay Rosen, at least not yet -- covered the event via their blogs.  Here are some links:<br /><br />Andy Carvin (of NPR): Waste of Bandwidth<br /><a href="http://www.andycarvin.com/archives/2007/02/morning_social_media_discussion_at_npr.html" target="new">Morning Social Media Discussion at NPR</a><br /><a href="http://blip.tv/users/view/andycarvin" target="new">Carvin's blip.tv account</a><br /><br />Jeff Jarvis: Buzz Machine<br /><a href="http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2007/02/15/national-public-whatsis/" target="new">National Public Whatsis</a><br /><a href="http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2007/02/16/a-day-at-npr/" target="new">A day at NPR</a><br /><a href="http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2007/02/19/what-should-local-radio-be/" target="new">What should local radio be?</a><br /><br />Zadi Diaz<br /><a href="http://zadidiaz.com/blog/2007/02/washington_dc_and_npr_part_i.html" target="new">washington d.c. and npr: part 1</a><br /><a href="http://zadidiaz.com/blog/2007/02/washington_dc_and_npr_part_2.html" target="new">washington d.c. and npr: part 2</a><br /><br />Robert Paterson's Weblog<br /><a href="http://smartpei.typepad.com/robert_patersons_weblog/2007/02/bloggers_at_npr.html">Bloggers at NPR - Day 1</a><br /><a href="http://smartpei.typepad.com/robert_patersons_weblog/2007/02/npr_bloggers_me.html" target="new">NPR - Bloggers meeting - The Gift Economy in Action</a><br /><a href="http://smartpei.typepad.com/robert_patersons_weblog/2007/02/enthusiasm_npr.html" target="new">Enthusiasm - NPR</a><br /><a href="http://smartpei.typepad.com/robert_patersons_weblog/2007/02/enthusiasm_npr_.html" target="new">Enthusiasm - NPR - More</a><br /><a href="http://smartpei.typepad.com/robert_patersons_weblog/2007/02/zadi_diaz_reach.html" target="new">Zadi Diaz - Reaching a young audience</a><br /><br />Doc Searls's Weblog<br /><a href="http://doc.weblogs.com/2007/02/16#morePublicLessRadio" target="new">More public, less radio</a><br /><a href="http://doc.weblogs.com/2007/02/19#aFloorOnTheQuestion" target="new">A floor on the question</a><br /><br />David Weinberger's Joho the Blog<br /><a href="http://www.hyperorg.com/blogger/mtarchive/at_npr.html" target="new">At NPR</a><br /><a href="http://www.hyperorg.com/blogger/mtarchive/nprorg_and_news.html" target="new">NPR.org and news</a><br /><a href="http://www.hyperorg.com/blogger/mtarchive/npr_rough_cuts.html" target="new">NPR Rough Cuts</a><br /><a href="http://www.hyperorg.com/blogger/mtarchive/a_day_at_npr.html" target="new">A day at NPR</a>";s:4:"link";s:90:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2007/02/gurus-connection-is-news-medias-future.html";s:12:"link_replies";s:156:"http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=20640872&postID=7749671984864883349http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/7749671984864883349/comments/default";s:9:"link_self";s:78:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/7749671984864883349";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/20640872/posts/default/7749671984864883349";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Steve";}i:3;a:10:{s:2:"id";s:58:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20640872.post-579307161800623738";s:9:"published";s:29:"2007-02-12T10:26:00.000-07:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2007-02-12T10:34:49.621-07:00";s:5:"title";s:44:"Will Social Media and Politicians Get Along?";s:12:"atom_content";s:1489:"Over the weekend, Barack Obama announced his candidacy for the US Presidency in the 2008 Election.  His site, <a href="http://www.BarackObama.com/">BarackObama.com</a>, is also getting attention (both <a href="http://www.bivingsreport.com/2007/obama-website-the-campaign-is-about-you/" target="new">positive</a> and <a href="http://www.bivingsreport.com/2007/techcrunch-finds-obama-site-bug/" target="new">negative</a>) for its social media components, but <a href="http://www.mathewingram.com/work/2007/02/11/nice-try-barack-but-not-quite-there/" target="new">Mathew Ingram is not that wooed with Obama's efforts</a>.  He says:<blockquote>I'm unconvinced that politicians and political parties -- which are inherently even more artificial, controlled and paranoid than companies (and we all know how blogging and social networking gets treated at many of the latter, thanks to Wal-Mart and Edelman) -- are really going to walk the walk, as opposed to just talking the talk.</blockquote>Like him, I wonder if politicians and social media will get along.  I wonder if the Obama campaign -- like others -- will allow people to set up accounts and post blog posts that counter and attack Obama. It'll surprise me if no one tries that trick, and such an act will shed an interesting light on the whole political bandwagon to adopt social media. If politicians want to come across as responsive, then they will likely have to allow opponents in theirsocial media networks.<br /><br />We'll see.";s:4:"link";s:89:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2007/02/will-social-media-and-politicians-get.html";s:12:"link_replies";s:154:"http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=20640872&postID=579307161800623738http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/579307161800623738/comments/default";s:9:"link_self";s:77:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/579307161800623738";s:9:"link_edit";s:70:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/20640872/posts/default/579307161800623738";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Steve";}i:4;a:10:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20640872.post-4615823400272844545";s:9:"published";s:29:"2007-02-05T10:24:00.000-07:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2007-02-05T10:40:40.724-07:00";s:5:"title";s:27:"Ugh! Utah Policy is sMITTen";s:12:"atom_content";s:1662:"In <a href="http://www.utahpolicy.com/pages/newsletters/daily696.htm" target="new">today's issue</a> of Utah Policy, the following note is under the regular "Mitt Romney Watch" section:<blockquote><span style="font-weight:bold;">Note to Readers:</span> With the 2008 presidential campaign in full swing, too many articles are being published about <span style="font-weight:bold;">Mitt Romney</span> for UPD to link to them all. We will link to significant Romney stories and columns, and we'll watch for <span style="font-style:italic;">stories that mention Utah or focus on the Mormon issue</span>, but we won't attempt to link to every Romney story out there. (italics added)</blockquote>We'll, I'm glad that Utah Policy will now try to fine tune its Romney coverage to directly relate to Utah.  <br /><br />As I have asked before about how s<span style="font-style:italic;">mitt</span>en <a href="http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2006/10/utahpolicycom-mitt-romney-coverage.html" target="new">Utah and Mitt Policy</a> is, "Why can't Utah Policy also fixate on other Mormons like Senator Harry Reid, Secretary Mike Leavitt, Bay Buchanan, American Samoan delegate to the United States House of Representatives Eni F. H. Faleomavaega, and Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann who all currently don't specifically affect Utah?"<br /><br />Ugh!  I hope that LaVarr Webb, as several Utah politicos conjecture, gets a post in a future Romney Administration that he apparently is begging for -- not because I've made my mind up concerning which presidential candidate will get my vote in 2008 but because all of this annoying Romney fixation should lead to something...";s:4:"link";s:78:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2007/02/ugh-utah-policy-is-smitten.html";s:12:"link_replies";s:156:"http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=20640872&postID=4615823400272844545http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/4615823400272844545/comments/default";s:9:"link_self";s:78:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/4615823400272844545";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/20640872/posts/default/4615823400272844545";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Steve";}i:5;a:10:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20640872.post-2558974639436188099";s:9:"published";s:29:"2007-02-01T12:31:00.000-07:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2007-02-01T17:00:25.907-07:00";s:5:"title";s:36:"No to Utah School Vouchers Blogswarm";s:12:"atom_content";s:676:"I am on the fence when it comes to <a href="http://www.socialtext.net/utah-politicopia/index.cgi?vouchers_for_private_school_tuition" target="new">school vouchers in Utah</a>.  The idea of parental choice is great, but at the same time Utah schools are so underfunded...  Thus, I am taking a neutral stance while pointing to a blogswarm against school vouchers in here in Utah as a bill in the state legislature is currently on the floor.<br /><br /><a href="http://davisdidjeridu.blogspot.com/2007/02/no-on-hb-148-no-to-vouchers-unproven.html" target="new">Davis Didjeridu</a><br /><a href="http://green-jenni.livejournal.com/156163.html" target="new">Jen's Green Journal</a>";s:4:"link";s:88:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2007/02/no-to-utah-school-vouchers-blogswarm.html";s:12:"link_replies";s:156:"http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=20640872&postID=2558974639436188099http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/2558974639436188099/comments/default";s:9:"link_self";s:78:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/2558974639436188099";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/20640872/posts/default/2558974639436188099";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Steve";}i:6;a:10:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20640872.post-8710984134371181705";s:9:"published";s:29:"2007-01-31T10:53:00.000-07:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2007-01-31T11:35:39.216-07:00";s:5:"title";s:34:"Is everything on FoxNews.com true?";s:12:"atom_content";s:861:"After the recent <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/" target="new">F-word Network</a> debacle when <span style="font-style:italic;">Faux & Friends</span> advertised the right wing rag <span style="font-style:italic;">Insight Magazine</span> assertion that  Senator Barack Obama attended a radical Islamic madrassa school -- which is false, Faux jefe <a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/fnc/moody_teaches_fncers_seeing_an_item_on_a_website_does_not_mean_it_is_right_52166.asp" target="new">John Moody e-mailed his staffers</a> stating that: "For the record: seeing an item on a website does not mean it is right. Nor does it mean it is ready for air on FNC. The urgent queue is our way of communicating information that is air-worthy. Please adhere to this." <br /><br />LOL!  I wonder how Moody feels about his network's site...  Is everything on it true?";s:4:"link";s:84:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2007/01/is-everything-on-foxnewscom-true.html";s:12:"link_replies";s:156:"http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=20640872&postID=8710984134371181705http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/8710984134371181705/comments/default";s:9:"link_self";s:78:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/8710984134371181705";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/20640872/posts/default/8710984134371181705";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Steve";}i:7;a:10:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20640872.post-2725379699977623096";s:9:"published";s:29:"2007-01-29T21:08:00.000-07:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2007-01-29T21:17:00.363-07:00";s:5:"title";s:27:"Changing My Blogging Habits";s:12:"atom_content";s:588:"For just over a year now, I have been pretty compulsive about blogging at least once a day.  Part of this is that I thought that some people would actually care about what I have to say about current events -- a small bunch do -- but I feel that I was too focused on becoming a star blogger or something.  Thus, I am going to try to cut back on blogging now.  Writing posts has given me some valuable writing practice and forced me to think more about events.  Further, I have met some cool people through this blog.  So, I'm not going to stop blogging, but I'm going to do it less often.";s:4:"link";s:79:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2007/01/changing-my-blogging-habits.html";s:12:"link_replies";s:156:"http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=20640872&postID=2725379699977623096http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/2725379699977623096/comments/default";s:9:"link_self";s:78:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/2725379699977623096";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/20640872/posts/default/2725379699977623096";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Steve";}i:8;a:10:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20640872.post-5033032922043277338";s:9:"published";s:29:"2007-01-25T14:01:00.000-07:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2007-01-25T14:29:04.781-07:00";s:5:"title";s:20:"A British Holocaust?";s:12:"atom_content";s:2241:"Du bist England?  The British government recommended today that <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6294643.stm" target="new">schools should teach students about Britishness</a>, whatever that is.  I wonder if this will spark controversy like Germany's "<a href="http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2006/01/du-bist-deutschland.html">Du bist Deutschland</a>" (You are Germany) campaign did in the blogosphere last year.  Does Britain have its equivalent to the Nazis that will make Britons squeamish to embrace their Britishness?<br /><br />I don't know, but a YouGov poll conducted in Britain found that 41% of respondents <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070122/wl_uk_afp/britainhistory_070122125729" target="new">fear a new Holocaust in the United Kindgom</a> given perceived intolerance and prejudice.  The recent row -- with protests in India -- over British reality TV star Jade Goody's harsh treatment of Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty on British <i>Big Brother</i>, which Channel 4 chief Kevin Lygo argues <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6297969.stm" target="new">saved the show from mediocre ratings</a>.  A race row seems a strange thing to find a silver lining for.  <br /><br />Further, tensions between the Muslim community and mainstream British society aren't helping; in fact, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair also just announced that <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6296789.stm" target="new">police are going to share intelligence and other information</a> about anti-terrorism efforts with Muslims.  The police hope that this will ease tensions and involve normal citizens in fighting terror threats. <br /><br />Of course, Indians and Middle Easterners are not the only ethnic minorities in the United Kingdom, and relations sometimes are strained in a multi-ethnic society.<br /><br />With the recommendation to teach Britishness schools, <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/worldhaveyoursay/2007/01/what_is_britishness_and_would.html" target="new">World Have Your Say</a></span> on the BBC World Service asked what that is.  Tolerance came up as a characteristic.  If Britons are by nature tolerant, this trait might be waning.";s:4:"link";s:69:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2007/01/british-holocaust.html";s:12:"link_replies";s:156:"http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=20640872&postID=5033032922043277338http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/5033032922043277338/comments/default";s:9:"link_self";s:78:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/5033032922043277338";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/20640872/posts/default/5033032922043277338";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Steve";}i:9;a:10:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20640872.post-8386176093959761261";s:9:"published";s:29:"2007-01-25T10:39:00.000-07:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2007-01-25T10:46:22.302-07:00";s:5:"title";s:30:"Tammy NYP is Still a Hot Topic";s:12:"atom_content";s:1063:"In Febraury 2006, almost a year ago, a student named Tammy at Signapore's <a href="http://www.nyp.edu.sg/" target="new">Nanyang Polytechnic</a> (NYP) garned international blogosphere attention for her sex video that she was dumb enough to record on her cell phone.  Someone stole it and posted her video on the Internet.  <br /><br />I wrote about it, and got thousands of visitors for my posts about it.  Today, I got back to the blog search engine Technorati to find that "<a href="http://www.technorati.com/search/%22tammy%20nyp%22" target="new">Tammy NYP</a>" is the tenth most popular search term.  Here's the moral of the story: If you're going to make a sex video, don't save it on something as portable as a cell phone if you don't want it distributed widely.<br /><br />Related posts:<br /><a href="http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2006/02/tammy-at-nyp-privacy-requires.html">Tammy at NYP: Privacy requires responsibility</a><br /><a href="http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2006/02/tammy-rules-blogosphere.html">Tammy Rules the Blogosphere</a>";s:4:"link";s:80:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2007/01/tammy-nyp-is-still-hot-topic.html";s:12:"link_replies";s:156:"http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=20640872&postID=8386176093959761261http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/8386176093959761261/comments/default";s:9:"link_self";s:78:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/8386176093959761261";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/20640872/posts/default/8386176093959761261";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Steve";}i:10;a:10:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20640872.post-3262521182032454157";s:9:"published";s:29:"2007-01-24T20:48:00.000-07:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2007-01-24T20:56:08.191-07:00";s:5:"title";s:31:"Two Wikis: One Wired, One Utahn";s:12:"atom_content";s:919:"Two new wikis have popped up over the last few days.<br /><br />Wired.com has launched the <a href="http://www.socialtext.net/wired-mag/index.cgi?big_questions_wiki" target="new"><span style="font-style:italic;">Wired</span> Wiki</a> to involve its tech and science savvy audience in answering some of <a href="http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/15.02/bigquestions.html" target="new">science's "biggest" questions</a>.<br /><br />Steve Urquhart, Utah State Representative from St. George, <a href="http://steveu.com/blog/2007/01/politicopia-day-1.html" target="new">launched</a> <a href="http://www.politicopia.com/" target="new">Politicopia</a> so that Utahns could discuss legislative issues.  In fact, he released his <a href="http://steveu.com/blog/2007/01/heres-voucher-bill.html" target="new">school voucher bill</a> on the wiki before he gave it to his legislative cohorts.<br /><br />Both are interesting ideas.";s:4:"link";s:81:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2007/01/two-wikis-one-wired-one-utahn.html";s:12:"link_replies";s:156:"http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=20640872&postID=3262521182032454157http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/3262521182032454157/comments/default";s:9:"link_self";s:78:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/3262521182032454157";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/20640872/posts/default/3262521182032454157";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Steve";}i:11;a:10:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20640872.post-6997958866966618496";s:9:"published";s:29:"2007-01-23T16:57:00.000-07:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2007-02-06T11:01:42.084-07:00";s:5:"title";s:39:"Ignoring the State of the Union Address";s:12:"atom_content";s:1274:"I am not going to watch President Bush's <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/23/AR2007012300721.html" target="new">State of the Union Address</a> this evening just as I didn't watch his recent <a href="http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2007/01/why-i-am-ignoring-president-bushs-iraq.html" target="new">speech announcing his troop surge in Iraq</a>.  This desire to avoid watching the address stems from several reasons -- beyond the fact that the news media has basically reported the salient points and will fixate on the speech for a while.  <br /><br />First, I am sick of the Bush administration's spin.  <br /><br />Second, I am sick of the mainstream media's obsession of trying to read too much or speculating about every single freakin' word.  <br /><br />Third, I am sick of the plethora of view points that the media reports the address from.  <br /><br />Fourth, I am sick of the championing of how an annual address can change the world; it can't.  <br /><br />Fifth, I am sick of empty promises.  <br /><br />Sixth, I am sick of petty rebuttals.  <br /><br />Seventh, I am sick of the fixation on a single event when the news actually occurs on a daily basis.<br /><br />President Bush, you won't have my ear this evening.";s:4:"link";s:83:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2007/01/ignoring-state-of-union-address.html";s:12:"link_replies";s:156:"http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=20640872&postID=6997958866966618496http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/6997958866966618496/comments/default";s:9:"link_self";s:78:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/6997958866966618496";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/20640872/posts/default/6997958866966618496";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Steve";}i:12;a:10:{s:2:"id";s:58:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20640872.post-413043255606884317";s:9:"published";s:29:"2007-01-19T08:34:00.000-07:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2007-01-19T08:48:28.362-07:00";s:5:"title";s:12:"College Debt";s:12:"atom_content";s:1596:"I've been thinking about college a lot this week -- particularly about the <a href="http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2007/01/do-too-many-americans-attend-college.html">American college system</a> and student debt.  NPR's <span style="font-style:italic;">Morning Edition</span> had a story about a <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6915546" target="new">student loan assistance for lawyers</a> who work in the public sector and a lady who is still <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6915549" target="new">paying off her loans</a> at 43.  These two stories inspired me to write into the show with the following about my <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6915552" target="new">college choice</a>:<blockquote>I was really touched by Friday's business segment that focused on student debt.  Fortunately, I was able to graduate from college about a year and a half ago debt free.  A combination of parental support, a little personal funding, private scholarship money, and the insanely low tuition costs of my alma mater <a href="http://www.byu.edu/" target="new">Brigham Young University</a> enabled me to earn a degree without incurring debt.  I am very grateful to my parents, scholarship donors, and the millions of my fellow faithful Mormons -- particularly those who live in developing countries who will likely never have a chance to enjoy a BYU education, let alone a visit to the United States -- who heavily subsidized my education.   Hopefully, I will not squander their investment in me.</blockquote>";s:4:"link";s:64:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2007/01/college-debt.html";s:12:"link_replies";s:154:"http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=20640872&postID=413043255606884317http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/413043255606884317/comments/default";s:9:"link_self";s:77:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/413043255606884317";s:9:"link_edit";s:70:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/20640872/posts/default/413043255606884317";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Steve";}i:13;a:10:{s:2:"id";s:58:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20640872.post-448151924617775436";s:9:"published";s:29:"2007-01-18T13:08:00.000-07:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2007-01-18T13:11:48.236-07:00";s:5:"title";s:44:"Speak with World Leaders: Davos Conversation";s:12:"atom_content";s:353:"As I mentioned yesterday, you can <a href="http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2007/01/ask-world-leaders-questions-at-davos.html">ask world leaders questions</a> at the World Economic Forum (aka "Davos") with on-line videos.  Visit the <a href="http://davosconversation.org/" target="new">Davos Conversation</a> site to learn so much more about this.";s:4:"link";s:82:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2007/01/speak-with-world-leaders-davos.html";s:12:"link_replies";s:154:"http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=20640872&postID=448151924617775436http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/448151924617775436/comments/default";s:9:"link_self";s:77:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/448151924617775436";s:9:"link_edit";s:70:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/20640872/posts/default/448151924617775436";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Steve";}i:14;a:10:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20640872.post-5830846843244016515";s:9:"published";s:29:"2007-01-17T20:16:00.000-07:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2007-01-17T21:19:50.021-07:00";s:5:"title";s:36:"Ask World Leaders Questions at Davos";s:12:"atom_content";s:931:"The <a href="http://www.weforum.org/en/index.htm" target="new">World Economic Forum</a> is responding to the surge of on-line communication trends by allowing normal folk to submit Internet video questions to world leaders attending its conference (aka "Davos") this year.  <span style="font-style:italic;">The Guardian</span>'s <a href="http://commentisfree.co.uk/" target="new">Comment is Free</a>, <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/" target="new">BBC News</a>, and <a href="http://huffingtonpost.com/" target="new" >Huffington Post</a> are teaming up to make this happen.  If you're interested, visit Jeff Jarvis's blog BuzzMachine to learn more about <a href="http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2007/01/15/say-it-to-davos-an-invitation/" target="new">instructions</a> and a <a href="http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2007/01/16/ask-davos/" target="new">list of world leaders</a> along with the schedule for Davos.  Good luck!";s:4:"link";s:88:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2007/01/ask-world-leaders-questions-at-davos.html";s:12:"link_replies";s:156:"http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=20640872&postID=5830846843244016515http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/5830846843244016515/comments/default";s:9:"link_self";s:78:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/5830846843244016515";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/20640872/posts/default/5830846843244016515";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Steve";}i:15;a:10:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20640872.post-8802963850653401869";s:9:"published";s:29:"2007-01-17T09:52:00.000-07:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2007-01-17T21:38:24.347-07:00";s:5:"title";s:37:"Do too many Americans attend college?";s:12:"atom_content";s:4176:""[Many Americans] are in college to improve their chances of making a good living. What they really need is vocational training. But nobody will say so, because 'vocational training' is second class. 'College' is first class," writes American Enterprise Institute scholar Charles Murray in an <span style="font-style:italic;">Opinion Journal</span> <a href="http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110009535" target="new">article that wonders if too many Americans attend college</a>.  He also champions vocational schools as wonderful alternatives for pupils "who are unqualified with those who are qualified but not interested" in a college education.<br /><br />This article may seem elitist as an academic at a right-leaning think tank is trying to dissuade people for competing with him, but it asks interesting questions about the apparent necessity of a post-secondary education especially since more and more Americans complete college with massive debt.  They work for years -- even decades -- to pay off their student loans.<br /><br />In the interest of full disclosure, I have a bachelor's degree in liberal arts and am glad that I attended college.  While I hope that anyone who desires a chance to experience college gets a chance to, Murray does make some interesting points.<br /><br />For instance, America has strong egalitarian tendencies and views easy access to a university education as a socioeconomic leveler.  Is a university education truly an equalizer for those who are either not as apt at "book work" or lack a desire to study in such a fashion?  <br /><br />Murray asserts that a college degree is an inefficient metric of determining a potential employee's work effort.  While obtaining an undergraduate degree requires some tenacity to endure roughly four years of study while grappling with a large bureaucracy, what's wrong with attending a shorter and more streamlined program at a vocational school?  Besides, focused training does have advantages over time spent studying material that is unrelated to a certain occupation.  <br /><br />Granted, it does make sense for employers to expect entry-level engineering positions to actually have an undergraduate degree -- if not higher -- in engineering, but what good is a person's credentials if they hold an undergraduate degree in sociology if they do not plan on pursuing further education in the field or a graduate degree like a MBA or JD?  Perhaps the time, money, and effort invested in a degree that its holder will not use is a waste; such a person could have devoted such resources to a more practical or dare I say worthy pursuit.<br /><br />I personally think that the quest for knowledge and improved reasoning skills while studying something that interests a person is worthy of such investment.<br /><br />While it is not explicitly mentioned, Murray seems to champion the European style of education where only the intellectually elite go on to university while others are channeled into vocational training at various stages through secondary education.     In European countries there is dignity in such occupations like working as a cashier or grocer since those workers received extensive training.  That leads me to wonder if the American education system strips such occupations of some of their dignity since, as Murray puts it, "'vocational training' is second class. 'College' is first class."<br /><br />Murray also argues that government backed financial aid that enables more students to attend college perpetuates this improper focus on a college education.  Since so many of those who start college fail to earn a degree, it seems reasonable to divert some government funding away from institutions of higher education and college scholarships towards vocational institutions and financial aid for those who seek training at them. <br /><br />Revisiting America's strong egalitarian tendencies, why does a college degree seem requisite for earning a good living?  As a country, should we place more emphasis on training and better reward individuals for greater expertise in occupations that do not necessarily require an undergraduate degree?  Maybe we should.";s:4:"link";s:88:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2007/01/do-too-many-americans-attend-college.html";s:12:"link_replies";s:156:"http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=20640872&postID=8802963850653401869http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/8802963850653401869/comments/default";s:9:"link_self";s:78:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/8802963850653401869";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/20640872/posts/default/8802963850653401869";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Steve";}i:16;a:10:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20640872.post-3048415047985242313";s:9:"published";s:29:"2007-01-16T20:11:00.000-07:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2007-01-16T22:27:34.926-07:00";s:5:"title";s:27:"Blogging As A Learning Tool";s:12:"atom_content";s:1022:"The <span style="font-style:italic;">Desert News</span> has an interesting story today about how a <a href="http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650223151,00.html" target="new">Utah fourth grade teacher uses</a> a blog with her class to help them learn.  Granted, Ms. Kalyn Denny has an award winning food blog, but blogging is not rocket science.  It is interesting to see that she feels it can help educate.  <br /><br />The article states that "[s]tudents are sharing what they got for Christmas, favorite after-school activities, inquiring about peers and parents, and they're even getting to see what they are talking about on their fourth-grade class blog."  This sounds like the <a href="http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2006/09/learn-english-as-you-blog.html">BBC Learn English blog</a> that pairs up a willing English student with an instructor and people who comment on the student's blog posts.     <br /><br />Blogging apparently is a great way to learn how to write.  It has been great practice for me.";s:4:"link";s:76:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2007/01/bloggin-as-learning-tool.html";s:12:"link_replies";s:156:"http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=20640872&postID=3048415047985242313http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/3048415047985242313/comments/default";s:9:"link_self";s:78:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/3048415047985242313";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/20640872/posts/default/3048415047985242313";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Steve";}i:17;a:10:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20640872.post-5510442164631581697";s:9:"published";s:29:"2007-01-15T11:43:00.000-07:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2007-01-15T12:03:04.896-07:00";s:5:"title";s:58:"Adrian Holovaty, are you behind WaPo's Video Game Reviews?";s:12:"atom_content";s:1404:"I saw an advertisement on my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/" target="new">Facebook</a> news feed today for the <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/" target="new">Washington Post</a></span>'s new <a href="http://projects.washingtonpost.com/videogames/" target="new">Video Games Review</a> section on its website; it catalogues reviews using different metrics including name, platform, and rating.  <br /><br />I personally like the whole concept even though I am not a gamer.  There's so much content out there, and finding a site that organizes it in mulitple ways is a badly needed service.<br /><br />This seem very reminiscent of the paper's <a href="http://projects.washingtonpost.com/politicalads/" target="new">Mixed Messages: Tracking Political Advertising</a> section that journalist <i>slash</i> programmer <a href="http://www.holovaty.com/" target="new">Adrian Holovaty</a> talks about in his blog about how he helped developed this section that organizes political ads like the game reviews are catalogued.  <br /><br />Thus, Mr. Holovaty, I'm wondering, are you behind the video game review section?  Also, <a href="http://www.washpostco.com/" target="new">The Washington Post Company</a>, I would like to see some data in the coming months about advertising the Video Games Review section on Facebook and similar sites.  Do these targeted efforts work?";s:4:"link";s:88:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2007/01/adrian-holovaty-are-you-behind-wapos.html";s:12:"link_replies";s:156:"http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=20640872&postID=5510442164631581697http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/5510442164631581697/comments/default";s:9:"link_self";s:78:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/5510442164631581697";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/20640872/posts/default/5510442164631581697";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Steve";}i:18;a:10:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20640872.post-1179749762086664673";s:9:"published";s:29:"2007-01-14T14:13:00.000-07:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2007-01-14T14:37:31.955-07:00";s:5:"title";s:15:"The Red Crystal";s:12:"atom_content";s:1449:"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_0nCTATyLdvA/RaqiPnve6LI/AAAAAAAAAAo/KGGfYbyD6ZE/s1600-h/redcrystal.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_0nCTATyLdvA/RaqiPnve6LI/AAAAAAAAAAo/KGGfYbyD6ZE/s200/redcrystal.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5020003123907717298" /></a><a href="http://www.aljazeera.net/english/" target="new">Aljazeera English</a> reports that the <a href="http://www.icrc.org/" target="new">International Red Cross</a> today has <a href="http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/emblem-keyfacts-140107" target="new">officially adopted the red crystal as an emblem</a> along with the red cross and crescent.  <br /><br />When the red cross was originally selected in 1864 as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_cross#Symbols_of_the_Movement" target="new">organization's symbol</a>, it is part of the organization's flag which is a variant of the Swiss flag in honor of the Red Cross's founder.  However, Islamic countries complained that they did not want to support an organization with a Christian symbol operating, and 1929 the red crescent was adopted.  The adoption of the red crystal stems from calls in Israel for a neutral symbol.<br /><br />While I understand the power of emblems, it is a shame that a mere symbol trumps the excellent cause of this organization.";s:4:"link";s:63:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2007/01/red-crystal.html";s:12:"link_replies";s:156:"http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=20640872&postID=1179749762086664673http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/1179749762086664673/comments/default";s:9:"link_self";s:78:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/1179749762086664673";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/20640872/posts/default/1179749762086664673";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Steve";}i:19;a:10:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20640872.post-8585017186314237269";s:9:"published";s:29:"2007-01-13T21:55:00.000-07:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2007-01-13T22:04:39.627-07:00";s:5:"title";s:7:"Twitter";s:12:"atom_content";s:708:"I've been listening to a <a href="http://strange.corante.com/archives/2007/01/12/strange_attractor_podcast_iii_web_20_myths_blog_fuckwittery_and_twitter.php" target="new">podcast on Corante's Strange Attractor</a> blog, and one of the bloggers, Suw Charman, justs proclaims how wonderful the social utility <a href="http://twitter.com/" target="new">Twitter</a> is.  This service enables you to broadcast over the Internet what you're currently doing.  What strikes me as strange is how technology has enabled us to believe that others actually care what we are doing.  I don't mean to bash Suw and her blogging buddy Kevin Anderson since they are both interesting people, but who would care about what I do?";s:4:"link";s:59:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2007/01/twitter.html";s:12:"link_replies";s:156:"http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=20640872&postID=8585017186314237269http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/8585017186314237269/comments/default";s:9:"link_self";s:78:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/8585017186314237269";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/20640872/posts/default/8585017186314237269";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Steve";}i:20;a:10:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20640872.post-6151645197378285229";s:9:"published";s:29:"2007-01-12T17:22:00.000-07:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2007-01-17T21:42:25.698-07:00";s:5:"title";s:16:"NPR's Rough Cuts";s:12:"atom_content";s:2203:"I've been following NPR's newest blog venture, <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6663918" target="new">Rough Cuts with Michel Martin</a>.  NPR lured <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5201175" target="new">Martin</a> and one of her producers from her correspondent gig at ABC News to host a daily talk show similar to <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=5" target="new">Talk of The Nation</a></span> that focuses on diversity.  Martin writes about the show's plans along with weekly podcasts of potential segments so that readers can help shape the show in development.<br /><br />So far, a community has formed around the blog, and most of the comments have supported the staff's efforts.  In fact, <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6816538" target="new">Martin quips</a>, "Asking for feedback from the public is a lot like asking strangers if your pants make you look fat. You're not totally sure you want the truth."  However, the community for the most part has been helpful.  For instance, some have questioned if the show should only define "diversity" in relation to race and ethnicity.  That's a tough one; the show wants to cater to an underserved cohort while enjoying as great of appeal as possible.<br /><br />Personally, I think that the most burdensome hurrdle the show staff faces is assessing what feedback is the most useful.  It is a challenge to prepare a meal when too many cooks have their hand in the pot.  <br /><br />I look forward to see how this open-piloting effort via the blog turns out.  Further, the development of NPR's forthcoming morning news show, which <span style="font-style:italic;">Broadcasting & Cable</span> dubbed as NPR's "<a href="http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6403891.html" target="new">Morning Addition</a>," to compliment <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=3" target="new">Morning Edition</a></span> should also serve as an interesting case study of collaborative development as it will also employ the Rough Cuts blog model in March.";s:4:"link";s:67:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2007/01/nprs-rough-cuts.html";s:12:"link_replies";s:156:"http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=20640872&postID=6151645197378285229http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/6151645197378285229/comments/default";s:9:"link_self";s:78:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/6151645197378285229";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/20640872/posts/default/6151645197378285229";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Steve";}i:21;a:10:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20640872.post-9200331906787832647";s:9:"published";s:29:"2007-01-11T22:32:00.000-07:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2007-01-11T23:29:34.230-07:00";s:5:"title";s:44:"Fox News on Rosie O'Donnell and Donald Trump";s:12:"atom_content";s:615:"Tonight was a rare one for me... I actually watched some Faux News.  The few minutes at the top of the hour of <span style="font-style:italic;">On The Record</span> with Greta Van Susteren fixated on the <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,243092,00.html" target="new">Rosie O'Donnell and Donald Trump debacle</a>.  The F-word Network is living up to the Newscorp tabloid standard.  However, can you blame the network for covering this fight so extensively?  President Bush's speech last night about his "new" plan for Iraq was not good news for conservatives; thus, Van Susteren focused on something else.";s:4:"link";s:89:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2007/01/fox-news-on-rosie-odonnell-and-donald.html";s:12:"link_replies";s:156:"http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=20640872&postID=9200331906787832647http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/9200331906787832647/comments/default";s:9:"link_self";s:78:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/9200331906787832647";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/20640872/posts/default/9200331906787832647";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Steve";}i:22;a:10:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20640872.post-3577610641860829852";s:9:"published";s:29:"2007-01-10T19:11:00.000-07:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2007-01-10T19:24:10.025-07:00";s:5:"title";s:46:"Why I Am Ignoring President Bush's Iraq Speech";s:12:"atom_content";s:473:"I am not watching or listening to President Bush's speech this evening about his new strategy for Iraq as the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011001504.html" target="new">salient points</a> were released or leaked to the news media.  Through their reports, I can understand the Bush Administration's new direction while avoiding the spin that the President is putting on it, but I must sift through the news media's instead...";s:4:"link";s:90:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2007/01/why-i-am-ignoring-president-bushs-iraq.html";s:12:"link_replies";s:156:"http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=20640872&postID=3577610641860829852http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/3577610641860829852/comments/default";s:9:"link_self";s:78:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/3577610641860829852";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/20640872/posts/default/3577610641860829852";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Steve";}i:23;a:10:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20640872.post-6298889482331309389";s:9:"published";s:29:"2007-01-10T00:16:00.000-07:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2007-01-10T00:34:06.830-07:00";s:5:"title";s:43:"Will Mormon Missionaries Proselyte On-line?";s:12:"atom_content";s:1409:"While cruising the Internet yesterday I came across an interesting site -- <a href="http://www.mormonconverts.com/" target="new">Mormon Converts</a>.  At first, I saw it advertised as a Google text ad, and it annoyed me as a devout Mormon that someone is trying to profit from religion.  However, when I got to the site, I found that it was a place where people who have converted to <a href="http://www.mormon.org/" target="new">The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</a> can share their conversion stories. <br /><br />Personally, I find most of my spiritual experiences too sacred to share with just anyone -- especially those who I have never seen or spoken with in person.  However, I can appreciate the missionary zeal of people who want to use the Internet to fellowship new converts and share the Gospel.  <br /><br />As I tried to wrap my mind around this site, I still feel a bit sheepish about using the rather impersonal on-line world to spread the Gospel.  What's next?  Mormon missionaries in <a href="http://secondlife.com/" target="new">Second Life</a>?  <br /><br />I bet the folk singer Joan Osborne, best known for her hit "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_of_Us_%28Joan_Osborne_song%29" target="new">One of Us</a>," wondered:<blockquote>What if God was one of us?<br />Had a blog like one of us<br />Just a surfer on the net<br />Tryin' to make it on reddit?</blockquote>";s:4:"link";s:89:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2007/01/will-mormon-missionaries-proselyte-on.html";s:12:"link_replies";s:156:"http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=20640872&postID=6298889482331309389http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/6298889482331309389/comments/default";s:9:"link_self";s:78:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/6298889482331309389";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/20640872/posts/default/6298889482331309389";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Steve";}i:24;a:10:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20640872.post-3330364681714326575";s:9:"published";s:29:"2007-01-09T16:40:00.000-07:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2007-01-09T16:46:06.804-07:00";s:5:"title";s:33:"Utah, How Do You Feel About Iraq?";s:12:"atom_content";s:606:"The <span style="font-style:italic;">Salt Lake Tribune</span> reported on Sunday that according a poll it conducted that <a href="http://www.sltrib.com/ci_4966131" target="new">a majority of Utahns no longer support</a> President Bush's handling of the war in Iraq.  Of the respondents, 41% support him, but this has dropped from 54% back in August.  This is an interesting development in what many consider to be the reddest state in the Union.<br /><br />Utahns, how do you feel about Bush's handling of the war in Iraq?  Have you changed your mind?  If so, when and why?  How do your fellow Utahns feel?";s:4:"link";s:83:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/2007/01/utah-how-do-you-feel-about-iraq.html";s:12:"link_replies";s:156:"http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=20640872&postID=3330364681714326575http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/3330364681714326575/comments/default";s:9:"link_self";s:78:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/3330364681714326575";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/20640872/posts/default/3330364681714326575";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Steve";}}s:7:"channel";a:10:{s:2:"id";s:34:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20640872";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2007-06-27T16:34:31.454-06:00";s:5:"title";s:21:"Obiter Dicta by Steve";s:4:"link";s:39:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/";s:9:"link_next";s:88:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?start-index=26&max-results=25";s:42:"link_http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed";s:58:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default";s:9:"link_self";s:58:"http://obiterdictabysteve.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Steve";s:9:"generator";s:7:"Blogger";s:10:"opensearch";a:3:{s:12:"totalresults";s:3:"562";s:10:"startindex";s:1:"1";s:12:"itemsperpage";s:2:"25";}}s:9:"textinput";a:0:{}s:5:"image";a:0:{}s:9:"feed_type";s:4:"Atom";s:12:"feed_version";N;s:8:"encoding";s:5:"UTF-8";s:16:"_source_encoding";s:0:"";s:5:"ERROR";s:0:"";s:7:"WARNING";s:0:"";s:19:"_CONTENT_CONSTRUCTS";a:6:{i:0;s:7:"content";i:1;s:7:"summary";i:2;s:4:"info";i:3;s:5:"title";i:4;s:7:"tagline";i:5;s:9:"copyright";}s:16:"_KNOWN_ENCODINGS";a:3:{i:0;s:5:"UTF-8";i:1;s:8:"US-ASCII";i:2;s:10:"ISO-8859-1";}s:5:"stack";a:0:{}s:9:"inchannel";b:0;s:6:"initem";b:0;s:9:"incontent";b:0;s:11:"intextinput";b:0;s:7:"inimage";b:0;s:17:"current_namespace";b:0;s:15:"source_encoding";s:5:"UTF-8";s:13:"last_modified";s:31:"Wed, 27 Jun 2007 22:34:31 GMT
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