new york times – Page 6

Murdoch rumored to be after the New York Times.

He might settle for the LA Times, though.

(Via Patterico) Not at all likely, but definitely funny:

Murdoch on the prowl for print sales

NEW YORK — Rupert Murdoch’s counterintuitive quest to invest in print media helped drive away longtime lieutenant Peter Chernin.

And now that Chernin can’t intercede, does Murdoch want to follow News Corp.’s $5 billion buyout of Dow Jones by gobbling up the struggling New York Times Co.?

The answer appears to be yes, as impossible as present economic conditions make it for most deals of any kind to get done.

Continue reading Murdoch rumored to be after the New York Times.

Obama, his personal reputation, and his policy’s public perception.

Hoping to square that circle tonight, he is.

(Via RCP) Is the New York Times feeling well?

Obama Selling a New Deal, but Promising It Will Be Brief

It was only 13 years ago that Bill Clinton declared before a joint session of Congress that “the era of big government is over.” President Obama’s challenge on Tuesday night is to declare that, out of ugly necessity, big government is back — and then to make a persuasive case, with a specificity he has avoided until now, that if done right, this era will not last for long.

His aides say this is no moment for the lofty idealism of the inaugural address, 35 long days and roughly a thousand Dow Jones points ago. His task is to be at once reassuring and realistic, or, as one of Mr. Obama’s economic advisers said over the weekend, “to convince the country we’ve finally pulled the ripcord on the parachute, even if we can’t tell you how long we fall or where we land.”

The hardest part will be convincing his countrymen that they cannot save themselves without first saving the banks that let greed blot out prudence, the carmakers who ignored competitive reality for a quarter-century, and the homeowners who somehow persuaded themselves that housing prices only move up.

This article by David Sanger was generally sensible.
Continue reading Obama, his personal reputation, and his policy’s public perception.

Two signs of the Times.

(Whoops! Via AoSHQ)

Yes, I should be forgiven for the pun.

The first “sign” is a bit of a stretch for the pun: it’s a reference to “No Snickering: That Road Sign Means Something Else,” which is a pretty good filler article about some of the now-embarrassing place and road names that you can find in England (or, probably, any country that has a past*). I am far too refined to mention any of those names; suffice it to say that a good deal of the article revolves around slightly mortified people saying things like “It’s pronounced ‘PENNIS-tun,’ actually.” Not precisely news, but it’s not like they put it on the front page.

The second “sign” is something that I noticed in the online version: they linked the two books mentioned (Rude Britain and Rude UK) in the article to their Amazon.uk listings – presumably using either the author’s or their their Amazon Associates ID in order to get their cut. At least, that’s what I’d do; in fact, that’s what I just did. So obviously I’m not complaining about that. It’s a courtesy service.

You know what else is a courtesy service? Linking to websites and blogs that you mention in the online version of your newspapers and magazines. It’s easier than adding an Amazon listing to your article, and Amazon makes it pretty darn easy to do that these days.

Moe Lane Continue reading Two signs of the Times.