Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Freedom First Oh Freedom. This is a great old spiritual. I recorded it during a thunder storm in Florida and decided to leave the thunder on the track to give it more ambiance. Freedom is often taken for granted, but is sorely missed when its gone. Lyrics: [G]Oh freedom [D]Oh freedom [G]Oh freedom [D]over [...] [Mediaburn Podstation 2408 on GigaDial Public] 8:23:50 PM

Surface Folk Microsoft Launches New Product Category: Surface Computing Comes to Life in Restaurants, Hotels, Retail Locations and Casino Resorts. First commercially available surface computer from Microsoft breaks down barriers and provides effortless interaction with information using touch, natural gestures and physical objects. [Microsoft PressPass, Information for Journalists - Press Releases] 7:55:15 PM

In the News Murdoch Reject Bancrofts' Independent Board Idea; Employees Union Considering Other Options. Updated below: Rupert Murdoch had a "constructive" meeting with the Bancrofts today on the future of Dow Jones, reports Reuters...this to the swarm of reporters descended on the meeting building. Meanwhile, the union representing over 2,000 Dow Jones workers, the Independent Association of Publishers' Employees, said it has retained advisers to seek alternative bids that could better protect the publication's "unquestioned journalistic integrity." The process was started last Friday, it said, with a list of about half a dozen individuals with "the money and the integrity"...more details were not released. Updated: WSJ: The two sides convened yesterday for more than four hours to discuss issues of journalistic independence for DJ and WSJ. The two sides exchanged proposals on structures to maintain journalistic integrity, but price wasn't discussed...there isn't another date set for a meeting, the story says. NYTimes: The Bancrofts told him they would sell him the company only if they could keep its jewel, The Wall Street Journal, out of his editorial control. Murdoch made clear that he would not accept the Bancroft family's proposal, which would give a board of independent overseers the power to hire and fire top editors, but various adjustments and alternative plans were floated in a meeting that lasted almost five hours, the story says. Bancrofts' proposal, that the board's initial members would be chosen by the family (and would choose their own successors in perpetuity) was rejected by Murdoch, but he has offered a less independent sort of governing board like the one at The Times of London when he acquired it, with some members appointed by him. Staci adds: Journalists and unions at various newspapers have tried to no avail to take part in the recent rounds of musical chairs by attracting white knights and/or creating ESOPsâo[per thou]Knight-Ridder, Pulitzer Publishing are but two examples. The only one to succeed so far: Tribune Co., where the employees are being used to take the company private without direct rank-and-file involvement. Maybe Ron Burkle wants to try again. By  (Rafat Ali). [paidContent.org] 7:48:57 PM