salaud speaks

I just implemented NoMachine, referred to also as NX. It basically proxies/forwards X11 sessions, but using a compressed X11 protocol. Apparently, a project to create a scaled down version of X11 across slow links was create a while back, which generated a library that is being used by NoMachine. There is a free edition that allows two users or sessions simultaneously. You can pay $500.00 for 10 users. You can also pay more for unlimited and if you pay a lot of money you can get load balancing using the “node” model. It is three tiered, Client (SSH tunnel, but with compressed X11 protocol), Server (the part that runs on a gateway box and talks to nodes and handles user auth), Node (the part that actually runs the Xsession and runs, for instance rdesktop). Basically it is X11 forwarding across SSH, but with some framework for slower links. There are clients for many platforms, including OS X (using X11), and including a java client for web deployment. I using this to give people access from a rental home using a thin-client from DevonIT. Their terminals have a bunch of different built in things like Tarantella, NoMachine, Leostream, etc.

I installed it on a debian etch server from the deb packages they provide on their website and, after some fiddling with permissions (increased the logging level in the /usr/NX/etc/node.cfg and server.cfg to find problems) it basically worked well. I basically did ‘chown -R nx:root /usr/NX’. You have to X11/Xorg installed all the way, and if you want rdesktop or VNC you need those viewers installed also.

Sun seems to have bought Tarantella (which was SCO). They now call their product that does the same things as NoMachine Global Secure Desktop. It even looks to be cheaper than NoMachine and more functional. They don’t distribute packages for debian/ubuntu though. It runs on linux (RedHat, SUSE), but no packages. It also runs on Solaris.

Two very interesting little currents in the youth rights movement that might be of interest to young oregonians; electoral political candidates in favor of a vote for all those who pay taxes and a bill in the house to put restrictions on Gulag schools. It is very unlikely that either support of a right to vote at 16 or even the relatively toothless HR 5876 will make any real difference, but the mere existence of these things may be a barometer of some form. Is it time yet for young people in Portland and Cascadia to organize themselves, take direct actions and risk arrest for THEIR OWN rights, in addition (or instead of) providing the backbone to the ecological, economic, and human (read: adult) rights movements of our time?

First, Links to resources for people wanting to get involved in youth rights movement (NYRA|ASFAR|Teen Liberty)

From the committee on education and labor (interesting combination by the way) website about the HR 5876 – Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2008

It is estimated that tens of thousands of U.S. teenagers attend (my emphasis) private residential programs – including therapeutic boarding schools, wilderness camps, boot camps, and behavior modification facilities – that are intended to help them with behavioral, emotional, or mental health problems. Depending on the state where they are located, some of these programs are regulated; some are not. As a result of this loose patchwork of regulations, reports of child abuse at the programs have frequently gone unchecked. The Government Accountability Office found thousands of allegations of child abuse and neglect at private residential programs for teens between 1994 and 2007. Tragically, in a number of cases, this abuse and neglect led to the death of a child.

Very interesting choice of the word ‘attend’, ‘residential’, and ‘child abuse’ here. Most young people sent to these Gulag schools, of which Oregon has had a some share ( Story 1 | Story 2 ), are taken away in the night (disappeared), or otherwise taken away against their will. In some cases, young people are sent abroad to countries, like Jamaica or Costa Rica, where the legal rights of young americans does not lend itself to ANY form of equity. It is a bewildering fact young people are still legally the property of their parents. This is the only class of people left on the planet who are still chattel, that is, slaves before the law. You might say that Africans ‘attended’ ‘Residential Programs’ on plantations in the US where some were ‘abused’. That is, “Black people were forced onto boats from Africa and taken into slavery on plantations in the US where some were murdered.”

—————- In other news : Ralph Nader is supporting, among possibly others, the right to vote for 16 year old people now . Isn’t that nice? I suppose as far as electoral politics goes, it is not bad. In the article in the link above he uses quotes from a young person making points about taxation without representation. He also makes an argument based on the involvement of young people in the civic process (duty/responsibilities) designed to sell the thing to old people. Notice that similar arguments were made about women during that suffrage movement: ie. that women bring the voice of morality and values, etc., etc. (puke). Again, this isn’t much, but it may be better than noting.

It seems that Ralph Nader is running as an independent candidate again for President. To the degree that it makes any difference at all (about 0), it looks like I might to have ejaculate my vote onto him again this year. Last time he said that the reason Nader supporters of the 2000 election abandoned him for Kerry in 2004 was because they were “spineless.” That little turn of phrase got him the results of my political masturbation last time.

Math is Hard. A yearly reminder of about how voting works… or decision science for dummies. REALLY DUMB-ies

Hear we are again ladies and gentlemen. On the eve of another day of voting our fears. On the eve of playing the political stock market. America is a strange and un-educated place. A place where they say modern democracry was born… but, what they meant was modern revolution. At least modern, Western revolution. Because, as far as democracry goes, even Oregonians don’t seem to have a clue. At least you can say one thing about americans, they are homogenous in their stupidity. It’s the same from the bible belt to the marijuana belt. From sea to dull sea. It’s truly amazing that even just people don’t understand math. 1 + 1 + 1 = 3. 0 + 0 +0 = 0. This isn’t that hard, really. Hell, I didn’t even study math… just decision science.

VOTING FOR DUMMIES – Math is Hard – In 15 easy to remember rules.

Rule #1 ) A person you want to win can only win if you vote for them

Rule #2) By voting for the person who you don’t really want to win, the person you really want to win, can’t win.

Rule #3) Voting against the person you don’t want to win, will not allow the person you want to win to win

Rule #4) If you try to guess how others are voting, in order to decide how to vote, they are trying to guess how you are voting, in order to decide how to vote.

Rule #5) You will never know how others want to vote based on polling.

Rule #6) Polls are manipulative. Take a quick poll yourself of who does the polling.

Rule #7) Voting based on how others are voting is not voting based on how you want to vote

Rule #8) If three people decide the outcome of an election and all prefer candidate A over B and C and they vote for B because they fear C will win, B wins, A loses.

Rule #9) If three million people decide the outcome of an election and all prefer candidate A over B and C and they vote for B because they fear C will win, B wins, A loses.

Rule #10) The value of candidate A increases not because A is more valuable, but because people think, that other people think, that A is more valuable…. ie Stock Market.

Rule #11) A person you want to win can win only if you vote for them

Rule #12) The winner should be the person who the people want to win, not the person who people would rather see win then the person they don’t to win.

Rule #13) Voting machines trump rules 1-12.

Rule #14) If you think you can out fox the foxes by voting in a way other than for you really want to win, you were just outfoxed by two people, them and you.

Rule #15) See Rule #1

The original article was posted HERE

In response to a posting here about how posters to indymedia can be “unhinged”.

This is probably more discussion than a comment, but, I kinda like the term “unhinged”. I think it is interesting how these mental images of different people fit together when describing the tone of some postings using indymedia.

“Unhinged” seems to connotate un-anchored or that which will lead to something falling down. Critics would view this as un-anchored from the reality as they understand it. This most typically, a liberal or mainstream conception of reality. So they view things that are not anchored in that reality as incredible.

However, to not be anchored in a world of self serving illusions is hardly a bad place to be. While life is certainly more comfortable, in the short term, by being grounded in pretty lies, it isn’t in the long run. So being “unhinged” seems like a pretty good place to be. Not everybody wants to be pinned down to small piece of reality that might cling to with the hope that everything will just work out.

So, I raise my glass to all the “unhinged”! Thanks to you good people there are now doorways where there were once locked doors.

A response to: http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2006/10/346955.shtml

Put simply those that would attempt to organize something for themselves and would stand in the way of others organizing for the same purpose are making a big mistake. In this case, whichever group posted something about how they would “not tolerate” other groups taking whatever actions they felt necessary show the same values and tactics that our current government does. That is, intolerance for people’s vigorous dissent in a situation which merits it.

As a previous poster here mentioned, the word “maturity” has nothing to do with radical or liberal tactics being used in dissent. The poster is also correct that only through civil disobedience, but NOT necessarily that which leads to getting arrested, has fundamental change taken place. Only by taking direct action does it show the highest levels of commitment.

I won’t say that it is useless to hold up signs everyday. That does get a message out. It’s like advertising on a billboard. One way or another some people see that message. However, just like advertising it does not force any action, it merely suggests it. It should be clear to anyone that direct action is more powerful than this. I don’t think anyone should be offended by this comparative. Clearly MLK’s marches were not indirect, in general, they marched in places where they were legally not supposed to be. They didn’t get permits, except maybe for Washington. Clearly the Black Panthers who took direct action had a more immediate effect on their neighboorhoods. We each go to the lengths / extremes that we can. We have to realize the limitations of our tactics (how we choose to voice that dissent) and not try to present our sign holding and permitted marching as though it were as powerful as direct action. There’s no shame in not taking direct action, but simply not as much power. We all do what can. Let’s let each other do it. If you think permitted marching accomplishes nothing, fine, but leave the folks alone who want to do it and vice versa.

So returning to the first point, if you choose to get permits or otherwise organize something for like minded fellows, do it…. be a leader. If you choose to participate in something that someone else organized, do it… be a follower. But, in both situations STAY OUT OF THE WAY of other people leading and following in their own way. All these tactics are valid. You hurt the movement when you try to silence the resistance of the radicals or liberalls and you become what you hate. This is so plain, that it needs no further explanation.

Non-violent direct action is one successul tactic (Gandhi) Violent direct action is one succussful tactic (US Revolutionary war) Non-violent indirect action is one very minimally successful tactic (Voting / Letters to congress) Violent indirect action is one very minimally successful tactic (pranks / private property destruction of businesses) Non-violent inaction is one un-successful tactic (permitted marches) Vilolent inaction is one un-successful tactic (private property destruction of homes)

However, let none of us stand in the way of anyone else to do what they feel is right. While we may consider it unsuccessful, we may be wrong.

I was getting the following error message when trying to get a rails app working ‘Mysql::Error: Lost connection to MySQL server during query:’ It turned out that the mysql gem was not installed properly. I thought I had installed it, but it turns out that because I did not have the libmysqlclient-dev package (not the exact name) installed before I did the gem install, things did not work quite right.

A response to this article: and a comment posted to it

It’s good to know that at least there are hearts out there still with blood pumping through them as opposed to people like “Really fed up!!” whose heart has apparently ceased to function on any level. It is at least a blessing to know that the individuals with Dead Hearts are not that smart. Here’s a clue for “Really fed up!!”: The social worker in this case receives their pay from the taxpayers AS DO police. So it is in no way because of portland police that the social worker has their job. So there is your clue… let’s pursue the investigation.

It is very telling and unfortunate that the dialogue about homelessness and need is so polarized and so simplified. It’s a very difficult issue to tease apart. Like everything, if we aren’t honest as is practical to solve the problem and as realistic we don’t really make any motion ahead. Of course, having the correct information is important also.

Look at the assumption that “Really fed up!!” has about how police always come to the rescue. This poster probably truly believes in their cold black heart that police never do anything wrong. That’s clueless beyond words, but is part of the simplification that to which I alluded. Now, to be fair, the same is true about social workers tacit assumption that homeless people never do anything wrong either that merits (according to the law, not justice) arrest or some sort of detainment. Truth is that someday the police might come for “Really fed up!!”. Perhaps for a domestic violence call, perhaps child support or perhaps tax evasion, who knows and possibly that “Really fed up!!” might find themselves destitute… that next great depression is ALWAYS just one black monday away.

It seems reasonable that the whole system is intertwined. Police need social workers to do their job correctly and social workers need police to do their job correctly in our current system. A social worker that deliberately allows someone to milk the welfare system or become dependent on the welfare system is not doing their best or being unjust to the community and/or the client. A police officer that deliberately harrasses homeless people who are not hurting anyone and causes the social worker’s job of getting them employment and/or living space is equally being unjust to tax payer and the person they are harassing. The police officer in that case is just guaranteeing that the person will remain homeless. If you treat people with respect, they rise to the occaison, otherwise they fall to whatever level equally. That’s just common sense.

The truth is obviously that some of both is happening.

Looking at the protection part of this argument you can see if you look closely that Social Workers are protecting the public in much the same way as police do. By helping those who are economically desperate or otherwise desperate by giving them some temporary relief this prevents those individuals from robbing or hurting people. I think every one of us in a desperate situation would do what needed to be done to survive if left with no options. That goes for cops and heartless people too most especially. What “Really fed up!!” doesn’t understand is that they might think the things that got stolen out of their SUV was a bad event, but without the social workers giving some economic relief, it would happen more times and would be worse.

One can even extend this argument to show that by keeping people from leading a desperate life that might lead to armed robbery and/or drug related stuff which, in more than a few cases has led to dead cops. So by taking more than 1 second to frame the issue, having a heart and a clue one can see that social workers protect the lives of cops (and all of us, including heartless people like “Really fed up!!”)

Let’s not forget that one primary reason for the beginning of the modern welfare state during the New Deal era was to pacify a working class that was increasingly desperate. This situation obviously can explode and lead to a revolution. The powers that be decided to implement welfare as a way to head-off that possibility. You WOULD be clueless if you thought the social programs came about because of judeo/christian charity. (and what about that judeo/christian charity?) These programs pacify the bottom of the pyramid so that folks like “Really fed up!!” can continue to trample on them and drive their SUV. So, any conservative or liberal propagandist that would tell you these programs are either a waste of time or a necessity are both without a clue and will never solve the mystery of homelessness and economic desperation.

A response to: This indymedia article and this Mercury article and this one

Egg on the Mercury’s Face:
    The chickens have come home to roost OR little fox news gets caught in the hen house
—————————————————-
Which came first the chicken or the egg? Well the egg came first on the Mercury’s face, followed shortly by the chickens coming home to roost. Of course, I’m speaking in response to the Letters (Not) to the Editor in the latest evacuation of that poo-poo tunnel called the Portland Mercury. I’m guessing this is the kind of language that their readers are familiar with and can best understand. Now let’s get down to poultry.

PART ONE – A New Water Sport: Doggy Style
———–
One can only assume that the editor wrote the response in the “Letters to Editor” section, since there is no byline. However, I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that it was an intern, an unpaid one. The anonymous (not even pseudonymous) person who wrote the response characterized the front cover as being “a cover photo of a man and woman in festive, patriotic outfits playing water sports with a carwash hose on a hot day.” Well, it definitely seems to be a man and a woman in patriotic outfits in a carwash with a hose. But, even as much as I like sports, I can’t remember which water sport happens in car wash with a hose. So, it seems that the characterization is little misleading or, let’s just face facts, disingenuous. It’s really a picture simulating and implying a man cuming after fucking a woman from behind. Maybe I just have a firm grasp on the obvious.

So the first piece of chicken-scratch we have is a very chicken-shit refusal to just face the consequences of what they had done with the cover and try to lie about it by covering with the new “water sport” called doggy style. Mr. Mercury, if you want to be the cock of the walk you better start talking straight talk.

Secondly, I find it funny that hipsters are calling the posters at portland indymedia hippies. Those words come from the same noble root: heppecat.. from some African language that I’m not sure of. Loosely… “one who walks with g*d”. Which became “hip cat” and then “hip” among the jazz scene of the 30’s through 50’s and then later applied to those who merely emulated “hip”… the “hippies”. (This version was told to me by Artis, the Spoonman). Now, finally we have the “hipsters” who emulate people emulating people. So even if it were a bunch of “hippies” who posted at portland indymedia that would be better than “hipsters”, in my opinion.

However, the Mercury didn’t check (or care about the facts). It’s really a lot of the dreaded anarchists and not the dreaded hippies. But, the image of the anarchist or intelligent person with genuine care about the world we live in didn’t serve for the purposes required by the Mercury. That is, to discredit a valid critique of their front page.

PART DEUX: “Hooooo’s too chicken”, said the Owl.
————-

The second cluck of the mercury’s response writer was that ” ‘they’ were too chicken to send a single letter to us”. First of all, there is no “they”. Indymedia, from the perspective of a person who is a reader only, is like bulletin board. There are the only individual posters to the site. Unlike the hierarchy that is the Mercury’s editorial change of command, there can be no individual entity with which to hang their discomfort, other than the individual poster who lodged the critique. So, there is no “they”, simply the one poster, KtS.

Second, the reason no one sent a letter to the Mercury is no way because they were scared of something. The Mercury is scared of something, however. Namely their irrelevance. The letter was not sent to them because they are, frankly, irrelevant when it comes to politics. If I need a sex worker for a phone conversation (a valid necessity perhaps), to swap wives with someone, or to find out where a good band is playing, they are doing a fair job of that.

What would a writer who was silly enough to write to the Editor about politics have to fear from them anyway? Would they have to fear a well thought out response that was meaningful and/or presented a good argument to the contrary? Certainly not! They would only have to fear rebuttals such as the ones used in the response we are talking about here; such as: “hippie”, “snit”, “holier-than-everybody”, et cetera, ad nauseam (truly).

In fact, I would guess they don’t have writers there that could even formulate some sort of rebuttal with anything but some kind of satirical vomiting that is their claim to fame. It’s an entertainment weekly, much like the WW. Let’s leave it at that. However, up till now, I have really considered them to be at least a step better than the WW. I think I’ll hold them in that position a little longer. I think a good thing about the Mercury as opposed to the WW is that the Mercury has never seemed to take itself too seriously. Which is a good quality, generally, but when someone has leveled a serious charge against them, such as promoting sexism, it’s time to get serious.

PART DEUX and a HALF
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The response writer at the Mercury accuses “they” at portland indymedia of being too chicken to send a single letter to them. But, let the record show that “they” at the Mercury never wrote a response to KtS on indymedia. “They” … the “news staff” did respond pseudonymously to somebody who left a comment to a related comment about coverage of activism at PSU. But, we have no idea who that really was or who “Unpaid Intern” is (stick around).

Anyway, it doesn’t matter, writing anonymously or pseudonymously is a good thing. Anonymous sources are a good thing. By mentioning (although incorrectly) that the writer was anonymous (they were, in fact, pseudonymous) was just an attempt to discredit the article. However, someone at the Mercury, who we don’t know exactly, because they too were pseudonymous turned around and did the same thing. I don’t think either party should receive any discredit for that. It is the times that we live in when speech is at the same time stifled and broadcast more widely and more dangerous to the speaker than ever before. If you have a problem with that, go argue it with Deep Throat, Dr. Seuss, or Currer Bell.

So, which came first the chicken or the egg? Well, the chicken… that was the Mercury not responding to KtS on indymedia in an OPEN forum (get in the ring mother-clucker) and second the Egg… that’s what’s on the Mercury’s front page now…. besides what your puppy may have left after you finished reading the band reviews.

PART THREE – Not Much of an Egg Hunt
————–
The response writer at the Mercury also took the liberty of reprinting two (2) of the thirty-eight (38) comments posted to KtS’ article. Comments that the author of the response dubbed “unintentionally hilarious”. Well the joke is on the Mercury again.

If hunting for comments that genuinely represented KtS’ article was an Easter egg hunt, the Mercury writer would be one sad tomato with three mediocre eggs, while everyone else got something pretty. Consider this non-excerpt example, fully in context, of a very well thought out comment:

“I would consider the cover irony. The thing that is annoying about irony is that it toys with symbols without out taking any kind of political stand. (There are some exceptions to this, where it actually can make a point really well). What bugs me with the mercury’s use of irony is that it FLIRTS with the subject matter for the sake of being hip, but then lacks the vision to go any further. It is actually really derivitive too if you just want to make comentary on its artistic value, but that is not my point.

In a counrty where nobody seems to have their head screwed on straight, and we are guilty of war crimes, I do not think we have the leasure to sit back and have a laugh about it all….. The mercury is a smug, self satisfied peice of shit.” – irony

Although, not quite as thoughtful as the previous comment, let’s take a look at this very insightful one about the blogtown piece of the puzzle:

“Over at Mercury BlogTown you will find most of the staff talking to themselves through the blogs they’ve created. It’s fucking hillirious to think of a staff at a newspaper talking to themselves through blogs as if it was an e-mail, or the lunch room! Hahahahahahahaha! The Mercury! Hahahahahah! Wait, it’s just a matter of time before they go on the attach against the IMC, that’s how they operate. They are paranoid. They think everyone who hates them works for the WW! Hahahahaha!” – Funny

Or how about this “unintentionally hilarious” excerpt from http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2006/06/341885.shtml?discuss#228079:

“As far as trivializing the worry over this issue, I have this to say. In places where a person’s every waking moment is focused on finding food and avoiding being killed, what do you think the number one fate to befall women in such places is? And this fate is directly tied to societal attitudes toward women – soldiers who grow up in societies that view women as having less value than men (less value than livestock, in some enlightened lands) and as being equal with the sex act itself have no thought at all about raping whomever they encounter. The only thing that can stop them is their own consciences – and where are these consciences developed? In the home, in the school, and in the society.” – anon

How about another piece of i_have_seen’s comment that was left out of the Mercury’s response:

“the mercury is also extremely ageist, but that wouldn’t bother most of the posters above…anyhow, it’s just a bad apple all the way around; that humphries guy (editor)is cashing in on this “cave man chic” thing that was the frat house reaction to hippies back in the sixties/seventies, and was re-invented, made intellectually acceptable, by “spy magazine,” back in the early nineties.”

There are several more very well thought out comments on this article that both criticize AND DEFEND the Mercury’s front page article. I believe these “unintentionally hilarious” comments were intentionally left out by the Mercury…. and that, my dear reader, is some spineless chicken poo.

PART FOUR: Bak, Bak, Bak, Bak, Ba-Blog!
————-
So, in addition, to the already sticky face that Mercury has from the first blast of egg slime they got from the Letters Not to the Editor page, they dared to blog about it. With this much Egg on their face I’ll be able to fry it up and make a Mercury Omelette. It gets even better when they aren’t in print.

The Unpaid Intern characterizes indymedia posters as shrill, humorless, ineffective and PC. Isn’t “Shrill” a way that men characterize women who talk too much? Humorless…. well, it’s hard to laugh at “Ontario Police Raid Grassy Narrows Blockade: 17 Arrests Reported”, “G8 Summit, St Petersburg, Russia – Protests and Repression”, and “Neo-Nazis in US military” (some selected headlines from the current feature column on portland.indymedia.org). But, I suppose maybe the Mercury has something funny to say about these topics. Laugh till you puke.

Of course, portland indymedia is, I’m told by one web administrator, ineffective to the tune of 100,000 pageviews per day and about 400-500,000 hits per day from all over the world. By the way, the rest of the world to all you Mercury writers is outside of Portland Metro, where no one gives a rat’s ass about the latest portland band or where to eat sushi after eleven downtown. As to “PC-by concenus[sic]” (spell check it you super journalist you!)… I guess, if it is true, it’s better than MV-Morally Vacuous by hierarchy, such as the Mercury seems to be.

The Unpaid Intern says that the posters in question accused the Mercury of ” ‘contributing to patriarchal bullshit’, ‘telling the kinds that sexism is okay’, and portraying women as ‘pieces of meat with holes in them.’ ” Of course, all this is true, if any of the commentators to the Mercury blog are an indication. Let’s look at some comments to the Mercury’s blog entry:

“Damn, girl. I like a lady with some meat on her bones. Give me that juicy juicy anytime.” – jim

“Portland Indymedia just needs to understand the luv of popozao and they prolly need to get laid too.” – Bixel

“What’s the big deal? Lot’s of guys spray grrrl’s backs after they give up the booty. Did someone think neo-cons don’t do this?” – Pixie Dust

Last, but not least let’s look at this hum-dinger by Tron Javolta:

“What a bunch of annoying, whiny bitches. How does anyone’s brain even think like that? If those are the kind of idiots we have on “the other side of the fence” then it’s all starting to make sense now… why Bush is president, gay rights are on some 1960’s shit, environmental laws are all to shit.. it all makes sense now… Because the people fighting the “good fight” are idiots. Goddamn, indymedia gives me gas. Eat a dick, bitch.”

I just love the use of the word ‘bitch’ here twice. What is the “other side of the fence”? Somehow I think this poster feels mighty at home here in this blog with that kind of sexist language. Of course, dicks in the mouth are also dirty and something undesirable according to this poster. Better check that, Booyakasha! Is it because I is queer?

It all makes sense to me now also Tron Javolta, while indymedia posters are accomplishing nothing to prevent the destruction of the environment or standing up to corrupt government leaders the Portland Mercury is the true shining light leading all of us as an example of what it means to really help the world. Eat the red pill, Tron Javolta.

PART FIVE: Merc
————-
Merc, that’s short for Mercenary, right? As in, we sell whatever it takes, including sex ads, which ARE degrading to men and women. Or is that short for Mercantile?

The Unpaid Intern says that “Mercury staffers have tried commenting on the site, but for some reason, to no avail.” I checked with some site administrators (remember that virtually no one who administers the site actually posts to it with any frequency) about hidden comments to this article. It looks there were 9 comments hidden. None of the comments had authors who announced themselves as being from the Mercury in even the slightest way. I got some samples from the hidden comments. Of course, there is no way to tell which of these were from Mercury staffers. But, since Unpaid Intern alleges that at least some of comments were from them and there are only 9, it stands to reason that some of these are from them. Here’s a taste of 8 of the 9 comments:

“I remember a Callahan cartoon where he’s at the info desk of a bookstore. The clerk is screaming at him: “There’s no humor section here. This is a feminist bookstore!” – Still can laugh

“American women are so bitter, angry, and sex-hating. No wonder many decent, kind, gentle, and generous guys such as myself are fed up and seek women from other countries. I’ve had great relationships with Japanese women, for example. Yeah, I’m sure you’ll all tell me they just don’t realize how oppressed they are. They need to wake up. Uh huh. ” – Fed Up

“Anytime a mindless feminist doesn’t like something or someone, the epithet “patriarchy” comes out. How trenchant. Yup. All that’s “wrong” with the world is men’s fault. Women do far crueller things to each other than a man could ever do. The above about female genital mutilation is a great example. This is perpetuated by women!” – Not afraid

“Gotta love American women. They are the most protected and privileged beings on the planet, yet to hear them complain about being oppressed you’d think they were slaves in Africa getting their genitals mutilated (just to mention people who are truly oppressed). ” -Not a sheep or participant in groupthink

‘”Double anal doesn’t seem so much fun that way does it?” She always seems to be enjoying it! “‘ -jm

” The Portland Mercury’s tone is just an act, repeat it with me again…IT IS JUST AN ACT. The slant of the publication sends a message, see? [....] Second…maybe the implied sexual position in the picture means that the woman prefers her pleasure that way as well…did you ever think of that, submitter? (You aren’t one of the older lesbians from Full Circle Temple, are you?) ” – zilah

“this might be the stupidest thing ever. who cares about what position the`people on the cover of a free paper are doing. isn´t america engaged in ww3 right now? what a stupid waste of time . just because you hate your own sexuality don´t take it out on the rest of us. some girls like it up the ass get over it ” – ex-pat

Just from the looks of it, it’s a really good thing these comments were hidden. I would guess the reason they were hidden was because of there obvious promotion of sexism which is against the editorial policy of the site.

THE END IS THE BEGINNING (Egg as symbol of continuity): The Circulation is Falling! The Circulation is Falling!
———————————————————-
1) The Mercury lies about what their front cover represents: According to them, “Water Sports!”

2) The Mercury thinks it is cowardly not to write to them.
     a) Their main concern is really that they are irrelevant in this domain. You’ve got no mail!
     b) They were too cowardly themselves to write a response to KtS on indymedia
     c) If someone had written them, it’s not like the Mercury would have responded thoughtfully or allowed them the space to be fully published.

3) The Mercury implies it’s cowardly to be pseudonymous, yet individuals from the Mercury did the same thing on indymedia.

4) The Mercury misrepresented the commentators to the KtS article by being intentionally selective about which comments they choose in order to discredit the posters.

5) The Mercury was accused of contributing to sexism in it’s readership and this is supported not only by the theoretical analysis of commentators, but also of the language of posters to the Mercury’s blog and by comments to the indymedia site, most likely by it’s own staffers, which were hidden because of that promotion of sexism.

So the moral of this story is that when Little Chicken Mercury yelled over and over, “The Circulation is Falling!” “The Circulation is Falling!” and made a big commotion with their front cover, everyone ran to see what was happening. But, when they become totally irrelevant as the age of the new media begins to fully take shape, no one is going to listen to them any more.

The Server which is Not a Server is the Server

A response to an e-mail sent by marketer for the artists currently known as the ‘Portland Timbers’:

I’m sorry I missed this opportunity. Not so much for the tickets, but for my opportunity to help you improve the marketing of one of my favorite teams.

I just want to say a name change is the biggest way in which we can really turn Footbol/Soccer around in Portland. Portland has such a HUGE potential with respect to this sport and PGE park along with it. Take a look at the absolute madness/fever surrounding the World Cup in this town. I heard Europeans who said this almost just like home.

An MLS team is a real eventuality for a town like Portland. Many of us have already suggested ditching the really family un-friendly chainsaw stuff and anti-environmental stuff that the ‘Timbers’ motif implies. I have truly seen children freightened by the chainsaw thing and my wife won’t come anymore. I have flex passes for most all of the matches in a season. The ‘Timbers’ don’t fit Portland…. it might have at the turn of the century, and there may be some good ol’ boys left, but as a marketing strategy with the current and future generations of Portlanders, it’s a losing proposition. It’s not that town anymore, it’s this town. Marketing to what it is and not what we want it to be is the path to success.

So the name change in my opinion should stay close to what some of the marketing is already geared toward as on the scarf, etc. I am suggesting (as others have suggested): ‘FC Portland’

I think with a name change that is more serious and not so comic/cruel it will attract more people. It will allow us to take it more seriously. It’s really the hard-core fans of the game that make the match, they just happen to bring their children. I will certainly have an easier time of getting my buddies (and my wife who won’t come anymore with the chainsaw stuff) to come if they think it is more about the game and a team we can really get behind.