Karmic if Will

Pearl Jam and animation

2009-08-22T16:25:59Z

This is kind of cool :) . . .

Pakistan

2009-04-23T20:17:07Z

The U.S. has a predominently commercially-driven "news" media, which serves up multiple channels of 24-hour talk, talk, talk . . . and often misinforms Americans.

This strange, tragic and dangerous system, is how the most powerful nation on earth conducts its national dialog. U.S. news is based almost entirely upon "market" forces. And it's apparently more profitable for the news corporations to trivialize, manipulate and misinform, than it is for them to provide thoughtful, enlightening programming.

In Britain and in Europe these "market forces" don't pervert the presentation of information nearly as much. For instance the BBC is publically-funded competitor to Britain's commercial news corporations. The BBC is not trying to make a profit for shareholders. It concentrates solely on educating and informing. KIW speculates that this small investment (financed by a $200 annual fee collected from each household), raises the level of the national dialog in Britain - even among the commercial news outlets.

Programing like spring 2009's The Taliban Generation - documenting what is currently happening inside Pakistan is one example of BBC programming . . . while U.S. viewers are saturated with shallow foolishness like Hardball and The O'Reilly Factor.

The reporter who brings us this documentary clearly risked her life to do so. Sadly, KIW's media watchdogs state that very little of what is presented to U.S. viewers by our commercial news corporations these days even approaches this level of journalism.

"Education is like a ray of light and I want that light" says one little girl, to reporter Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy during this 48 minute report.

Pakistan's Taliban Generation; BBC Channel 4; 16 March, 2009

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oh . . . . the artisticness

2009-04-23T02:19:37Z

What makes good art?

Some combining of beauty and truth (?)

Maybe some art emphasizes truth . . . while other art dwells more on beauty.

Whatever . . . and we are not sure what this guy's art is all about. But Mr. Jonathan Mann's song strikes a chord with KIW's vast worldwide staff.

We think it's well worth 2 minutes and sixteen seconds . . .

Banks Part 1

2009-03-29T02:27:23Z

KIW's crack economists have been just a tad perplexed at the sudden financial meltdown that burst into the international zeitgeist during the Indian summer of 2008.

Luckily we found this BBC2 series titled The City Uncovered with Evan Davis.

Did you know that the same scientists who plot trajectories for rockets, sometimes use their skills to predict stock prices for investment banks?

It's a three part series. The first episode aired in Britain on 14 January, 2009 and is titled 'Banks and How to Break Them' This chapter explains exactly how a bank is supposed to work.

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'Banks and How to Break Them'

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Banks Part 2

2009-03-29T02:27:22Z

This is the second part of the BBC2 series titled The City Uncovered with Evan Davis.

This second episode aired in Britain on 21 January, 2009 and is titled 'Tricks with Risk' This chapter explains the financial culture's risk professionals: the derivatives whizzkids and hedge fund managers.

After viewing this installment KIW's Economics Department now knows what a hedge fund is! We are unsettled that this . . . um . . . parasitic . . . behavior has ever been acceptable - much less encouraged.

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'Tricks With Risk'

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Banks Part 3

2009-03-29T02:27:21Z

This is the third part of the BBC2 series titled The City Uncovered with Evan Davis.

This third episode aired in Britain on 28 January, 2009 and is titled 'When Markets Go Mad ' This final chapter looks at the roots of the current crisis. . .

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'When Markets Go Mad'

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Mr. Virg Bernero

2009-02-20T00:13:34Z

Wow . . .is something changing in the USA?

For decades, Wall Street and its ilk have been identified as the engine of the US economy. Identified as the folks who deserve riches and credit for the wonderful work they do. Never mind that bankers and investors don't actually do any work. (Unless you consider gambling to be work - which KIW absolutely does.)

But is gambling and moneylending really the top echelon of work? Is it the work that we want to encourage? Is it the "work" that deserves to take 95% of the pie? Leaving 5% for all the other workers?

Yesterday, Fox News hosted Virg Bernero, the mayor of Lansing, Michigan. KIW likes the mayor's perspective.

Fox News; 18 February, 2009

chilling the music

2009-02-19T00:16:55Z

KIW's Music Department has now taken to worrying about our favorite source of music, San Francisco-based soma fm's Groove Salad - and all the other internet music streaming around the web.

According to a recent press report, internet radio stations will soon be paying $1.50 per 1,000 listeners, every time those stations play a song over the world wide web. By 2009 the payment will rise to $2.50 per 1,000 listeners.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer; 18 February, 2009; p C7; 'Accord reached on royalty rates for internet radio-station music - Deal reduces charges by about 16 percent.
Seattle PI 18 Feb 2009 p C7.pdf

Outlier

2009-02-17T04:44:19Z

In statistics, an outlier is an factor that is significantly distant from the rest of the data.

Some people can seem that way.

And it's those outlier folks who are often the ones the rest us find the most fascinating.

One of KIW's vast worldwide staff couldn't sleep and . . . lucky for us . . . ran into a Mr. Malcolm Gladwell holding forth on one of those obscure late-night channels.

Mr. Gladwell has got some great thoughts, and he really seems to be having a blast just thinking them.

We heartily recommend him . . .

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The Seattle Channel; American Podium: Malcolm Gladwell "Outliers"; 16 February, 2009

second acts . . .

2009-02-14T07:12:59Z

KIW's film critics all found The Wrestler mesmerizing, moving . . . even haunting. It's Mickey Rourke laying his soul bare.

We didn't know we liked the guy. But it's the idea of redemption that truly grabs us. The earnest seizing of life's second chances.

Mr. Rourke seems to know a thing or two about that . . .

The Charlie Rose Show; 12 February, 2009

Merle Vasanti Gyan

2009-01-21T23:25:14Z

KIW has never had a bigger booster . . . nor has the vast worldwide staff ever been keener than we are (and always will be) on Toronto-and-Trinidad's effervescently beautiful Merle Vasanti Gyan.

Merle stands out in a crowd. She sparkles and shines with her own special luminance.

In 2006, the hosts of a Toronto television show plucked Merle out of the studio audience and gave her a few minutes of her own airtime.

It's so fun to watch :)

In this part, Merle is pulled out of the studio audience in a local Toronto television show . . . all because of her infectious laugh . . .
(Watch this episode (1) in a separate pop-up window by clicking here)

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A week or so later, this episode ran - documenting her "makeover" . . .
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Some things never die.

Seattle Times; 25 December 2007; p. B4
(From each and every staff member here at KIW ... Thanks Merlie!)

2396 words . . .

2009-01-21T00:06:24Z

KIW's rhetoricians . . .as well as our musicians, engineers, scientists, athletes and . . . well . . . let's just say the entire staff, feel very good today.

It's been a long time since we liked the sound of the world, but we do indeed like the sound of the world today . . .

. . . [T]he time has come to set aside childish things [ . . . ] to choose our better history [. . .] Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
US President Barack Obama, 20 January, 2009, Washington, DC

Text of President Obama's Inaugural speech; 20 January 2009 (pdf)

a sad tale . . .

2009-01-17T23:54:53Z

As the Republican party's President prepares to leave the White House in a few days, KIW is reminded that it's been a long eight years.

Kieth Olbermann lays it out for us . . .

Countdown, MSNBC; 16 January, 2009

And speaking of Mr. Olbermann . . . some of the more, well . . . profane members of the vast worldwide staff find the following quote worthy of a chuckle . . .

"Because I can't say, 'Shut the fuck up,' that's why, frankly."

MSNBC Journalist Keith Olbermann responding to the following question from his boss at MSNBC: "Why do you have to tell the President of the United States to 'Shut the hell up'?"

'One Angry Man - Is Keith Olbermann changing TV news?'; by Peter J. Boyer; The New Yorker; June 23, 2008

common sense ...

2009-01-14T23:05:36Z

"The U.S. must make clear that we will not support either side when it uses violence beyond its borders.
We must demand that humanitarian aid as well as press and U.N. observers be permitted to enter Gaza without delay -- and that hostilities cease so that lifesaving commodities can be distributed.
If Israel will not comply, as when it attacked a U.N. relief convoy Thursday, the U.S. should break the siege of Gaza itself to supply food and medical supplies, just as we would for Israel in similar circumstances.
The special U.S.-Israeli relationship puts us in a unique position to take that temporary step, while assuring our Israeli friends that no rockets enter Gaza along with aid."

Craig Corrie Father of Rachel Corrie an an Officer of the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice

Seattle Post-Intelligencer; 14 January, 2009; P A15; 'U.S. strategy for Mideast peace misguided'
PDF

seal 1991

2009-01-14T00:30:33Z

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Back in the mid-1990s one member of KIW's music department remembers being asked what music he was currently listening to. He replied, "Mozart and Seal."

Somehow the two still seem to go together.

Enjoy this studio concert that Seal put out on videotape during the 1990s ...

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Seal in Wikipedia