Frank Rich's Critiques the Government and Media in The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline and Fall of Truth from 9/11 to Katrina
cn | 25 September, 2006 11:22
I was just listening to The Diane Rehm Show on NPR this morning and cauth an interview with Frank Rich, columnist for the New York Times, who has a new book out entitled The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline and Fall of Truth from 9/11 to Katrina. It sounds like quite an critical examination of the media and administration and the relationship between the two and topics of conversation on the interview ranged from specific policies and statments from the White House to the Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
Here's a review from Amazon.com about his book:
This blistering j'accuse has vitriol to spare for George Bush—calling him a "spoiled brat" and "blowhard"—and his policies, but its main target is the PR machinery that promoted those policies to the American people. New York Times columnist Rich revisits nearly every Bush administration publicity gambit, including Iraqi WMD claims, Bush's "Mission Accomplished" triumph, the Swift-boating of John Kerry and the writing of fake prowar letters-to-the-editor from soldiers. He uncovers nothing new, but his meticulously researched recap-cum-debunking—complete with appended 80-page time line comparing administration spin to actual events—builds a comprehensive picture of a White House propaganda campaign to bamboozle the public, smear critics, camouflage policy disasters and win the 2002 and 2004 elections through trumped-up security anxieties. Along the way, he pillories a sycophantic media (Bob Woodward gets spanked hard), spineless Democrats and an infotainment culture that happily accommodates the Bush administration's erasure of the line between reality and fiction. Sometimes Rich's critique of Republican politics as cynical image-manipulation goes overboard, as in his "wag the dog" theory of the Iraq war as a Karl Rove electoral maneuver; more often, though, it's on target. The result is a caustic, hard-hitting indictment of the Bush administration, timed to make a splash in the upcoming election campaign. (Sept. 19)
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You can probably hear the interview in the archives on the Diane Rehm Show website pretty soon here.
Amazon listing here.
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Stuff to Hide? Be a 007 - Make Your Own Hollowed-Out Book
cn | 04 March, 2006 18:09
The How To Do Stuff Blog has a very cool post about how to make a hollowed out book to hide stuff in:
The first step into making the hollow book is to select a book. Make sure this is a book your own, and not one belonging to the library, or your family. I suggest rummaging through books at yard/garage sales.
Make sure it is a hardback; otherwise you will cut all the way through the other side when you are cutting out the insides.
You'll also need:
- Elmer's white glue
- a container to hold glue solution (I've chosen a film canister)
- X-acto knife, and/or box cutter. Both if you have them
- brush to apply glue solution
- pencil/pen
- ruler, or other rigid straight edge
Select a page that you want to be the first one cut out, and save that page to be cut out at the end. (I'll explain later) Even if you don't want to save any pages at the beginning of the book, you must set one aside for a later step.
Next step? A secret sliding bookshelf...
Full instructions and pictures on the blog here.
Originally found via Lifehacker.com here.
Posted in Computers/Technology, Inventions, Literature . Comment: (0). Trackbacks:(0). Permalink
1984 is Now!
ben | 23 December, 2005 19:23
The Oakland Tribune ran a great op-ed today - a brief examination of George Orwell's 1984 and how we're living through the novel now and a call to action for any American who believes in civil liberties. First, 1984:
In 1949, Orwell penned "1984," a dark, futuristic satire in which the totalitarian government used indoctrination, propaganda and fear to enforce order and conformity. His "Big Brother" — the face of this all-knowing regime — was never wrong, and to make sure of it, history was constantly being rewritten.
Orwell wrote his book as a cautionary tale to underscore the insidious danger of slowly eroded individual liberties. His Thought Police may not yet be on the march, but it's not hyperbole to point out the eerie parallels with today's America.
So what can we do about it? Well, it turns out, if we have a copy of 1984, we can send it to Congress:
We think it's time for Congress to heed the warning of George Orwell.To that end, we're asking for your help: Mail us or drop off your tattered copies of "1984." When we get 537 of them, we'll send them to every member of the House of Representatives and Senate and to President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
Feel free to inscribe the book with a note, reminding these fine people that we Americans take the threat to our liberties seriously. Remind Congress that it makes no sense to fight a war for democracy in a foreign land while allowing our democratic principles to erode at home.
Remind President Bush that ours is a country of checks and balances, not unbridled power.
Perhaps our nation's leaders can find some truth in this fiction and more carefully ponder the road we're traveling.
Bring or mail your books to the Oakland Tribune, 401 13th St., Oakland CA 94612. Doors are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Do this. Now! (thanks boingboing for the tip)
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