Yearly Archives: 2013

Craigslist has cost U.S. newspapers $5 billion

"The study, to be published in the journal Management Science covering the period 2000 to 2007, found Craigslist has had a huge impact on local US newspapers, which have in the past relied heavily on classifieds. Over that period the researchers noted a 20.7 percent drop in classified ad rates, a 3.3 percent increase in subscription prices and a 4.4 percent decrease in circulation, according to a summary of the research released this week by New York University. 'We ascribe this impact to Craigslist,' Seamans told AFP. 'When Craigslist enters a market, the effect on a newspaper’s classified ads is almost immediate,' he added." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCraigslist has cost U.S. newspapers $5 billion

After destroying newspapers, the Internet is now poised to disrupt television

"Having turned print media upside down, the Internet now is disrupting television, forcing broadcasters to adapt to tablets and video-on-demand to hold onto views and advertisers. 'The gap between what consumers want and the way the industry is delivering it has grown so big that the industry now has to start to make some moves,' Forrester Research analyst Jim Nail told AFP. For the first time this year, American adults are spending more time with the Internet than in front of television sets — about five hours a day compared to 4.5, according to a study in eMarketer this month. Internet giant Google has joined the party with Chromecast." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAfter destroying newspapers, the Internet is now poised to disrupt television

Eric Margolis: Kicking Sand In Russia’s Face

"Imagine if the US increased its arms supplies to Syria’s rebels and imposed a no-fly zone, as Sen. John McCain urges. Russian S-300 anti-aircraft missiles down US warplanes. The US launches attacks on Russian AA units, then on Russian ships delivering arms to the Assad government. It’s not hard to see how a direct clash over Syria could put Russia and the US on their most perilous collision course since the Cuban missile crisis. Instead of dealing with this major threat, Obama, under blistering attack from Republicans over the deaths of three Americans in Benghazi, Libya, is offending Putin and indeed all Russians." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEric Margolis: Kicking Sand In Russia’s Face

Russia Today’s Editor-In-Chief: ‘The West Never Got Over the Cold War Stereotype’

"Russian President Vladimir Putin has created an anti-CNN for Western audiences with the international satellite news network Russia Today. He commissioned the network in order to 'break the monopoly of the Anglo-Saxon mass media.' The government seems to be succeeding in its task, with the network gaining more viewers in major cities in the United States that any other foreign broadcaster. In Washington, 13 times as many viewers tune in to Russia Today than they do its German equivalent Deutsche Welle. A total of 2 million Brits watch the program. On Youtube, the Moscow-based broadcaster recently broke the one-billion-hit barrier." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRussia Today’s Editor-In-Chief: ‘The West Never Got Over the Cold War Stereotype’

Pepe Escobar: Bandar Bush, ‘liberator’ of Syria

"Bandar Bush's visit to Moscow simply could not have happened without a green light from Washington. So what's the (muddled) master plan? The Obama administration seems to believe in a remixed Sykes-Picot - almost a century after the original. The problem is they are clueless on how to configure the new zones of influence. Meanwhile, they're letting the Saudis do the heavy lifting. The first step was to eliminate Qatar from the picture. It's astonishing how fast the emirate, up to two months ago a prospective mini-superpower, now has been reduced to less than an afterthought." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPepe Escobar: Bandar Bush, ‘liberator’ of Syria

Michael Hastings Last Story Was On CIA Director Brennan; Will Be Published Soon

"This week Elise Jordan, wife of famed journalist Michael Hastings, who recently died under suspicious circumstances, corroborated this reporter's sources that CIA Director, John Brennan was Hastings next exposé project. Last month a source provided San Diego 6 News with an alarming email hacked from super secret CIA contractor Stratfor's President Fred Burton. The email was posted on WikiLeaks and alleged that then Obama counter-terrorism Czar Brennan, was in charge of the government's continued crackdown or witch-hunt on investigative journalists." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMichael Hastings Last Story Was On CIA Director Brennan; Will Be Published Soon

Feinstein wants to limit who can be a journalist

"The most recent congressional threat to the free press in the United States comes from California Democrat U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein. In a proposed amendment to a media shield law being considered by Congress, Feinstein writes that only paid journalists should be given protections from prosecution for what they say or write. The language in her proposal is raising concerns from First Amendment advocates because it seems to leave out bloggers and other nontraditional forms of journalism that have proliferated in recent years thanks to the Internet. At a congressional hearing on the matter last week, Feinstein said shield laws should only apply to 'real reporters.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFeinstein wants to limit who can be a journalist

US Government “Protection” of Al-Qaeda Terrorists and the US-Saudi “Black Hole”

"Royal family protection from Qatar and Saudi Arabia (concealed by the 9/11 Commission) was repeatedly given to key figures like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged 'principal architect of the 9/11 attacks.' This finding totally undermines the claim that the wars fought by America in Asia since 9/11 have been part of a global 'war on terror.' On the contrary, the result of the wars has been to establish a permanent U.S. military presence in the oil- and gas-rich regions of Central Asia, in alliance with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Pakistan – the principal backers of the jihadi terrorist networks the U.S. been supposedly fighting." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS Government “Protection” of Al-Qaeda Terrorists and the US-Saudi “Black Hole”

Saudi prince defects: ‘Brutality, oppression as govt scared of Arab revolts’

"Saudi Arabia, a major supporter of opposition forces in Syria, has increased crackdown on its own dissenters, with 30,000 activists reportedly in jail. Political parties are banned in Saudi Arabia and human rights groups willing to function legally have to go no further than investigating things like corruption or inadequate services. Saudi Prince Khaled Bin Farhan Al-Saud confirmed reports of increased prosecution of anti-government activists and said that it’s exactly what forced him to defect from his family. He accused the monarchy of corruption and silencing all voices of dissent and explained how the Saudi mechanism for suppression functioned." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSaudi prince defects: ‘Brutality, oppression as govt scared of Arab revolts’

Saudi government smashes ‘sinful’ statues of horses

"Ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia has smashed sculptures of horses erected on a roundabout in the southwest after the kingdom’s top cleric denounced them as sinful, local media reported on Wednesday. The decision came after Grand Mufti Abdulaziz al-Shaikh sent a letter to the governor of Jazan demanding that 'the sculptures be removed because they are a great sin and are prohibited under sharia (Islamic law),' said another news webitse, sabq.org. Statues of people and animals are prohibited under Islam as they represent a form of idolatry. However, the religion does allow artworks depicting plants and landscapes." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSaudi government smashes ‘sinful’ statues of horses