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The Memory Hole [rescuing knowledge, freeing information]

D.C. Dispatch | 2004.04.28 | Powers

For various practical and cultural reasons, religion makes the media squirm more than any other subject. Journalists dwell in a world of facts (most do, anyway), a pragmatic place in which news is something that can be verified. Eternity is a tough one to pin down—the sources are conflicting and all the stories sound totally made up. There are plenty of religious journalists, but the culture and values of the profession are overwhelmingly secular. In a nation of so many believers, we find ourselves in a delicate position.

Hispanic Business - Hispanic Media Crucial for the Largest Minority Population: "Despite the rapid-growth of the Latino population, mainstream media still falls behind in Hispanic coverage. Over 50 percent of Latinos consider English-language news coverage poor, especially with news relevant to the Hispanic community, and 44 percent of Latinos believe English-language media damage their community image, said the Pew report. "

I-94 makeover draws critics - 04/28/04

NPR : Politically Speaking : Bush's Black Legacy
-Juan Williams: "My bet is that history will recall the administration's relationship with blacks for bringing black people into the highest levels of public policy. There is no guarantee that Powell, Rice or any white person wins every fight among the power players around the president. But in order to win, in order to influence, you have to get in the ring. And until the current administration, the most elite circle of advisors to the most powerful man in the world, the foreign policy apparatus, might as well have had a 'Whites Only' sign on the door.
Once he leaves the government, Powell is on his way to being the next Henry Kissinger, a former secretary of state widely regarded as a wise man on world affairs. Rice, once she leaves, will always be a candidate to be secretary of state in any Republican administration. And once President Bush leaves office, history may recall his relationship with black Americans for the fact that he opened doors."

Doing Time, Remotely:

"Present Imperfect

A few inmates have figured out ways to beat the system. In October 1999, Norman Hill, 31, of Newark, N.J., used extension cords to extend his electronic tether far enough to get outside his apartment and resume his street corner drug business. He was arrested on charges that included possession of and intent to sell heroin in a school zone.

Glitches in the system, such as inadequate oversight, can have even more tragic results.

Also in October 1999, Michael Farris of St. Louis, Mo., was awaiting trial on a burglary charge when he was released to a home-monitoring program. He detached his monitoring equipment and went without supervision for nearly a month, even though his supervisor knew of the violation almost immediately. During his freedom, he allegedly strangled a woman."

Electronic Monitoring of Offenders in the Community

Tethers may ease jail crowding, state budget : "Prevost-Hart's tether maps his movements through the use of a Global Positioning System, or GPS, to make sure he is inside his house for all but three hours a week. During those hours he can go anywhere but a casino. He was charged with embezzling more than $100,000 from his employer -- money he said he used for gambling. "

The Morning News - Birnbaum v. Edwidge Danticat: "Not conspiratorial. This feeling that we are exempt from certain things that happen. On some level, now, we are joining the larger world and realizing that we are connected with people in these very scary ways, sometimes. What happened recently in Spain affects us here and brings questions up. It is too bad that people have to be shaken up in that way."

Burlesque - the hidden history:

" A dancer billed - by some as 'Detroit's answer to Gypsy Rose Lee' - though NOT a stripper or 'shake dancer', she was quick to tell me when I spoke to her in January 2003 - Lotti performed with members of the Funk Brothers and worked in clubs in both the US and Canada (including the Victory Theatre in Toronto, by the by)."

Online NewsHour: Contractors Face Iraq Combat -- April 6, 2004

GHOST TOWN