http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Mon, 7 Nov 2005 15:09:28 EST http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/11/07/150928.php Dave JohnstonPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens was suspended indefinitely by the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday, two days after he publicly criticized the team. Owens was unhappy with management after there was no public acknowledgement of his 100th career touchdown reception two weeks ago.ESPN's Michael Smith:Owens is not Anakin Skywalker and his behavior since the Super Bowl suggests that there is no good in him whatsoever.I sense that the Eagles are about to do what they should have done prior to the season starting: cut T.O. outright. We have seemingly reached the point in time where his 21 TDs in 20 games is no longer worth the cost on the backside of the relationship.It's important for an organization like the Eagles that prides itself on professionalism (they have a reputation for running a very tight ship) to step out and do the right thing on this issue. When someone brings shenanigans and lack of respect to the workplace day in and day out, as T.O. does, they get fired - period. It is especially important to set an example in today's world of very highly paid athletes. Allow this to fester and you're only creating more alienation among fans that are already stretched to the limit when it comes to putting up with primadonna athletes. That is not good for business. Just ask the NBA, which is trying to play catch-up with its own image problems.The Eagles should cut bait and simply stand behind of the NFL's most respected players, Donovan McNabb. McNabb approaches the game right - on the field and off. By siding with the team leader and star QB, even if it means they struggle through a rough season, the Eagles will show that respect and leadership is rewarded. Dave Johnston's day job is as the online editor for a major D.C. think tank. He also publishes at his personal blog: newdave.com Sports39149@blogcritics.org Mon, 7 Nov 2005 15:09:28 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/08/31/173058.php Dave JohnstonSo Glenn Reynolds - the Instapundit - mentions on his blog one day that he's actually worked with the ACLU and that "demonizing" them is "silly."You know what happens next...immediate shock and outrage from some on the political right that loathe everything that even remotely has a connection to the ACLU. And with a Kos-like fervor, calls for a boycott ring out from the far reaches of the blogosphere.A sampling of the insta-hyperbole: "It's no wonder Glenn loves the ACLU, he is a fellow Lawyer and as with Clinton they all stick together no matter what.""Well I will delink the SOB, maybe he does eat puppies after all...creep!!""I have read his stuff for about a year and never realized that he had a dark side..."Cue the evil "dark side" music...Glenn must feel really special today. Not only is he regularly called a "rabid wingnut" by those on the Kos left, he is now getting equal treatment from their counterparts on the right. The impugning of motives, the polemical rhetoric, the strawmen...it's almost as if it's the same people on both sides!He's certainly earned his libertarian stripes on this one. And I couldn't be prouder... You can read more of Dave Johnston's takes at newdave.com.Ed/Pub:LM Sci/Tech35192@blogcritics.org Wed, 31 Aug 2005 17:30:58 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/08/23/211915.php Dave JohnstonFrom USA Today:Several universities regularly listed among the nation's top "party schools" are joining city officials and bar owners to try to curb the supply of the biggest contributor to binge drinking on and off campus: abundant, cheap beer.The University of Florida is working with Gainesville bar owners, beer distributors and City Hall to discourage drink-till-you-drop specials and to start police "party patrols" to clamp down on rowdy keggers and kids violating the national legal drinking age of 21. More... Two factors drive drinking on campus, according to studies from 1993 to 2004 by Harvard's School of Public Health:•Price. The lower the cost of pitchers, kegs and cases of beer, the higher the rates of heavy drinking among students. Aggressive advertising in campus newspapers feeds the problem, data show.•Prevalence. The higher the number of bars and liquor stores around campus, the higher the percentage of binge drinkers, who have four or five drinks at a sitting.Ok...problem solved, right? I don't think so.I really don't believe price has anything to do with binge drinking on college campuses. When walking out the door on a Friday night in College Town USA, a 21-year-old is thinking about getting drunk, not price. If it costs only $3 a pitcher, or 15 cents a cup - that much more the better. But the guy (or gal) is getting drunk either way.I'll throw even more gas on the fire: many college kids could care less about price, because they're on their parents' dime. Either that, or they're spending the overage between their Stafford Loan and the actual tuition cost that semester (a very common practice in my circle of friends at IU a few years back). I even had a friend or two who took out extra loans just so they could party and live it up.One of the real reasons that kids drink heavily on college campuses is because class is just not that challenging. College for many is just a chance to waste four more years with friends. Throw in a dose of cultural acceptance of binge drinking that didn't exist 30 years ago and you have a recipe for hard living. A few learn a great deal, but many are just passing the time without having to think too hard. Some even take that a step further by going to law school when they know damn well they don't want to be a lawyer (ahem). Both undergraduate and graduate levels afford the young a chance to put off serious life decisions that are best tackled much earlier on.Many would be a lot better off just jumping into the workforce at 18...You can read more of Dave Johnston's takes at newdave.com.Ed/Pub:LM Culture34673@blogcritics.org Tue, 23 Aug 2005 21:19:15 EDT