Upon Journalism further

In the recent furor over the supposed Koran abuses by guards at detention centers, I find myself wondering about the line between thorough reporting and responsible self-censorship. When reports first surfaced regarding the Muslim scripture having been "flushed down the toilet", Islamic followers across the globe reacted with the all-too-common "Death to the American infidels!" response. Newsweek later begged off this story, and admitted that their source may have been less than credible. Now today we see that the Pentagon has come out and admitted that something along those lines may well have occurred at Guantanamo Bay.

Now, while I believe that covering up abuses such as this would lead us down a slippery slope, I am still left to wonder whether we need to put things like this into the international media. The abusers are wrong, and they deserve to be disciplined. However,with the anti-American sentiment that permeates much of the Muslim world, do we really need to be broadcasting the actions of a few idiots? Actions which will no doubt be misconstrued into representing America as a whole? Could something like this not be handled "in house", so to speak?

Freedom of the press, and freedom of information are integral components of a democratic society. The question I am grappling with is: though you are free to disclose information, does it mean you are compelled to? Does the benefit of reporting this story outweigh the repercussions?

Upon the Conference Finals- Part 2

Onto the East, where the Detroit Pistons lead the Miami Heat 1 game to 0. Shaq played in the first game, and was effective early, but only had 20 points on a somewhat slow second half. Detroit got a great game from Rasheed Wallace, who had a critical stop on Udonis Haslem late, and hit several big 3's. Dwyane Wade had an off-night, and if Deisel is a quiet 75% and Wade misfires, Miami is done.

on to the match-ups

Point Guard: Damon Jones V Chauncey Billups

Jones emerged from relative obscurity this year, a benificiary of what I will term the Shaq effect. All of a sudden, good open 3-point shooters look like great players. Billups is one of the best and most consistently overlooked PG in the league. Jones is capable, Billups was the MVP of the Finals last year.

Edge: Pistons

Shooting Guard: Dwyane Wade V Rip Hamilton

After a great rookie campaign, Wade has his coming-out party this year, and his band-wagon was shaking from all the people jumping on. He is a fantastic 2-way player, but i gave my thoughts on crowning him the next Jordan already. Jersey and Washington are not Detroit or San Antonio. Rip is the new-school Reggie, never-ending motor while running off a million screens. Wade is easily the better baller, but he will have to improve on his Game 1 showing. Guarding Hamilton is a chore, and will tire out someone who carries as much of the offensive load as Wade does.

Edge: i have to say PUSH, but Wade can grab it with a stellar Game 2

Small Forward:Eddie Jones V Tayshaun Prince

This match-up is one of the more intriguing in the series. The numbers Prince(14.7, 5.3 boards, 3 assists) and Jones (12.7, 5.1, 2.7) are basically a push. Both men can shoot the 3 (slight edge to Jones, and defend (with Prince's length and blocks just edging Jones' steals). Jones is a veteran, but Prince is a match-up problem.

Edge: Detroit

Power Forward: Haslem V Rasheed Wallace

Udonis also benefitted greatly from the Shaq-Effect, to the tune of averaging nearly a double-double. However, Sheed let him know how the balance of power goes in this match-up when he blocked U's potential game-tying jumper, saved it from going out of bounds, and threw the outlet. Sheed cant really bully him, but he can J him to death

Edge: Detroit

Center: Shaq V Ben Wallace

In a reprise of least year's Finals match-up at the 5, a healthy Shaq abuses Big Ben. Wallace will guard him straight-up, and a hobbled Shaq can't be as effective as he wants. Wallace changes the lane for opponents, and can patrol the boards as well. I think Shaq will summon another run from his body, and we will see a 30-15 soon.

Edge: Heat

Coach: Stan Van V Larry Brown

The master out maneuvers the young gun. Lets see if Stan can use his chess pieces well enough to let Shaq and Wade carry them on. Go with the defending champ again.

Edge: Pistons

Bench: Alonzo, Laettner, Dooling, Shanndon Anderson V McDyess, Arroyo, Lindsey Hunter, Ronald Dupree

Alonzo will be important if Shaq can't go, or is in foul trouble. McDyess is playing well now, and Lindsey is a consistent vet. Mourning is the key, if he can give the Heat Offense and Defense they are in good shape.

Edge: Heat

Prediction: Chessmatch. Split the series home and away. Heat in 6.

Upon the Conference Finals Pt 1

The Conference Finals are underway in the NBA, and we will now see who goes to battle for the crown. Most experts had these four teams here, and I did as well. The undermanned Pacers gave it a good run, but Detroit took care of them as the defending champs should. Dallas got out-gunned in a close series, and San Antonio brushed off the pesky Seattle foes. Now to the Series predictions

San Antonio V Phoenix (San Antonio leads 1-0)

Yesterday, the two teams burned up the scoreboard, as the Spurs decided to score with the Suns, rather than defend. Amrae had 41, Nash had 29, and Jim Jackson had 20. Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili scored in the 20's, and San Antonio got great 3-point shooting from Barry. Lets break it down:

Point Guard: Nash vs Parker

This match-up is very tough to call. Nash has been running wild this playoffs, but Parker is no slouch himself. Neither defends, but both can put their whole team on their back. I will slightly favor Nash for how he gets his teammates involved, but I don't take anything from Parker, who could be a real difference maker.

Slight edge: Suns

Shooting Guard: (for now) Jim Jackson V Ginobili

The injury to Joe Johnson forces Jim Jackson into some critical sub-minutes, as he will need to fit into Phoenix's scheme as seamlessly as Joe did. Ginobili is another player who can turn a game by himself, and provides an interesting parallel to the Wade-shaq dynamic in Miami. I have to favor Manu, because his manic forays to the basket, while ugly, draw key fouls and break backs when he gets the and1. Jackson's veteran skills and 20 point effort last night make this close, and Johnson's 3-point shooting can tip the scales closer when he returns.

Edge: Spurs

Small Forward: Richardson V Bowen

Bowen is almost always on the other team's best perimeter player, and his defense give opponents fits. Q didn't show up in yesterday's game, and will need to make strong contributions to keep this a series. Bowen is a piece out of the old-school championship mold. Plays D every single play, hustles, and knows his role offensively. Phoenix burned the nets without anything from Q, so if he gets going it could be a plus for the Suns

Edge: Spurs (for now)

Power Forward: Marion V Duncan

Marion was another no-show yesterday, and is another player who must be a huge factor for the Suns to have a chance. Tim Duncan is simply a constant superstar. Pencil 20+, 10+, and 2 blocks every night, with the amazing game thrown in the mix. The rebounding and shot blocking, dunking and spotting up Matrix needs to come to play. Marion can be a match-up nightmare, but Duncan always is. The ankle worries are behind him, it appears.

Edge: Spurs

Center: Amare V Nazr Mohammed

I loved Nazr with the Knicks, he was a steal for the Spurs, and he is playing quite well these playoffs. Amare is a monster, he dropped 41 in Game 1, and noone on the Spurs can D him. Tim can have some success, but if he's on D against the Manchild he will get worn out quick, and can pick up fouls. Amare needs to stay out of foul trouble himself, and he can have a Kemp/Barkley type series.

Edge: Suns

Coaches: D'Antoni V Popovich

Gotta go with Pop on this one. Experience will get it done. D'Antoni has been coaching his Euro style well all year, but let's see him grind it when the Spurs switch to defense mode.

Edge: Spurs

Bench: Barbosa, Walter McCarty, Steven Hunter V Barry, Horry, Udrich, Nesterovich

Suns are really up against it in this category. Jim Jackson is forced into a starting role and the rest of the Suns starters are looking at 35+ minutes. Brent Barry was another overlooked steal for the Spurs, and he killed it Game 1. Big Shot Bob always seems to lurk on a title contender.

Edge: Spurs


Home court now belongs to the Spurs. I gotta think this goes 7, but Phoenix could also be gone in 5.

Prediction: Spurs in 7


Later: The East

Upon Random Thoughts

Indulge me if you will.


Staring as the clock inexorably moves forward, each second not lived to the fullest, is wasted. Words are pregnant with meaning, entendre, ego. I type as a conduit to soul, emotion, expression, ennui. I use big words because I like how they sound, like how they make me feel, like that language does not have to be mundane. Does anyone listen? Is anyone impressed? Would it matter either way? Consciousness is divided between the impression of industriousness, though bored, and the surreptitious prose massage. My blog is a diary, a journal, a resume and portfolio, a writing sample and a pastime, a diversion and an open letter to my friends and family. Are you out there? Can you believe where we are? We work jobs, we attend graduate school, we foster relationships, we grow older by the minute. I survived entire semesters at college with less money than I just put in the bank for a paycheck. I lasted a whole year on less than my tax return check. I see very few people my own age on a daily basis, and the memory of what it was like to daily see a thousand such folks is fading. Phone calls don’t do the trick, but they do assuage the great gulf that somehow formed. I hope all are doing well, hope thy hope the same for me. I marvel at how much time was spent with people I may and probably will never see again. ( I sit back in my mind and watch myself type this out, relishing the feeling I will get when I post it.) I wonder if I’ve gone on long enough (writing that is, never fear). I see it’s a quarter after four, laugh briefly at typing out that colloquialism, and enjoy the 15 minutes I have passed.

Thanks

Upon Journalism

Thoughts which emanate from a Bogardian Ethos, on the subject of journalism:

Essentially, newspaper circulation is decline while the Internet
continues to take off as a source of information. Bloggers play a
significant part, but the fact that the younger generation reads
articles online more and more instead of in print signals the slow
demise of news as we know it. Rupert Murdoch, head of FOX News, even
proclaimed the coming death to a roomful of newspaper editors
recently. A new age is coming and everyone must adapt thanks to the
Internet.

In addition, the public regard for the press is remarkably low;
quality control is at a low ebb with a variety of disasters occurring.
International bureaus are shrinking while award-winning newsrooms are
being laid off. The bottom line of news, now a solely business, hurts
its product -- but journalists are to blame for incompetent, formulaic
storytelling that does not excite or educate the reader. Frankly, if
blogs continue to rule, the reader might have to become a professional
media critic to decipher the bias -- even more so than one has to with
print and television mediums. But even the blog's existence is highly
dependent on the media it is thumbing its nose at: the majority of
content is criticism of the press and its original reporting. Some
blogs have empowered "citizen journalists" to report and gather their
own news to digest, but a lack of a realistic business model for an
Internet press has limited their scope.


My own Ideas on the subject:

Taking my own city's newspapers and television news as an example, journalism inceresingly is forced to resort to tabloid tactics. As my esteemed counterpart points out, news has become a business focused on the bottom-line, where thought-provocation is eschewed for paper sales and viewership. The exposition of genocide that occurs daily in Africa, and makes the death tolls of all recent American tragedies and armed conflicts pale in comparison, is journalism in its essence. However, the update on "Wacko Jacko" and his trial, the sensationalist slop spread in the trough for consumption, is what is asked for. Fox News leads the pack in ratings, and misses the integrity and accuracy bar raised by an 8th grader taking 45 minutes after school to blog.

I believe that news-blogging is an interesting tool.News blogs vary from less-biased and more objective than popular news media, to far more so in all regards. I also agree that news blogs are highly dependent on the popular news sources, and criticism thereof. Often, blogs will take stories which are presented in the media, and respond by telling the truth of the matter, or the bloggers perception of said truth. However, a blog's relative lack of censorship allows brings a lack of fact-checking and editing. Recently, a Newsweek story on the supposed flushing of a Quo'ran as an intimidation tactic by guards at a detention center, led to a flare of violence throughout the Muslim world. This story was later attributed to fraudulent information from a source. While many blogs do not have such a wide spread audience as Newsweek, they are also lass subject to the amount of checks one would expect a world-wide magazine to go through.

I would be interested to see if The Epic believes that those who tune into popular news outlets, or read local papers for news, are after exactly what they receive. Do people who get their news from the popular media only want the sub-par "journalism" that they are given?

Upon Delayed Updates

The Widening Geier

Last week was busy, so i fell down on the job a bit.

Seattle/San Antonio, Indiana/Detroit, and Dallas/Phoenix are all even at 2 games a piece. All 3 down teams did what they needed to do to avoid the 3-1 deficit, and almost sure elimination. Rasheed Wallace and the Pistons backed up their guarantee, with a drubbing of the Pacers. Dallas let Steve Nash run wild and drop 48 points, but beat the Suns by 10. Seattle played their game, and rode the home crowd to a series tie. I think all of these series have 7-game potential, but that the Spurs are the most likely to close it out early.

In beatdown news, Miami easily disposed of the over-matched Wiz, even without the aid of Shaq for 2 games. Heat got inspired play from Dwyane Wade, and look like a real contender. However, I want to go on record here.


"Dwyane Wade is no better than Penny Hardaway was at the same time and place. Don't annoint this kid the savior yet. Yes he is awesome, yes he can dominate both ways, and yes i would love to have him on the Knicks. However, don't forget that many people look amazing for a few years, and this "who's next" sports culture throws them up on a pedestal which they promptly begin to chop down at the first sign of weakness. I think Wade has been great, but the punditry even suggesting that he is the most valuable player on his own team is ridiculous. Please all remember that Shaq is the most dominant force basketball has ever seen, Chamberlain included, and can carry nearly any East team to the conference Finals at least. Think about it; Marbury, Crawford, Kurt Thomas, Tim Thomas, and Shaq? Kidd, Carter, Jefferson, Cliff Robinson, and Shaq? Every team gets a whole lot better with Shaq, and though I do think Wade is a great player, I have seen the one-man-gang act before. Lets win a title first.


8-in-a-row for the Yankees, and now a trip to Seattle. .500 for the first time since early April. Sad that it took a streak like this to pull even, but will I take an 8-spot? You bet I will. Bit of a log-jam with Bernie and Sierra getting healed, as Tino and Cano show no signs of warranting removal from the line-up. You would be hard pressed to name two Yankees playing better right now.

Upon Further Baseball Updates

The Widening Geier

The theory goes that sometimes a broken-bat single, or a blooper just over someone's head, or something of that nature, is all it takes to break a hitter out of a slump. I think that the Yankees have gotten that from their pitching this past weekend, as much-maligned Mike Mussina and Kevin Brown threw shut-outs against the A's. Admittedly Oakland is struggling, but the struggling teams are the ones that you are supposed to shut-out. Moose tossed a complete game to take the pressure off a tired bullpen, and Brownie pitched like he is capable of each time out. Tom Gordon looked right with a 1-2-3, and Sturtze got some work in a low-pressure situation. I think it is important for the bottom of the rotation guys to get it done, as Mike is the veteran of the starters (in terms of Yankee tenure) and Brown is an old vet who desperately wants to prove he can still get it done. Matsui got out of a slump Sunday, which is another good sign. A-Rod contines to hit the bombs and drive in runs, and Sheff's ankle is not as bad as it could have been. Cautious optimism is the order of the day, Seattle is next on the schedule.

Upon Playoffs Round 2

The Widening Geier

Bulls didn't win in 7, but the Pacers did, so I took a 50/50 on those predictions. Dallas took out Houston in a gigantic beatdown that embarassed the Rockets.

Second Round-

Miami vs Washington- Miami leads 1-0

Shaq and Wade are quiet, and you get blown out of the building? good luck winning one.

Heat in 5

Indiana vs Detroit- Not Started

Lets get ready to rummmmmmmmble! The match-up we have been looking for since the brawl at Auburn Hills. The Pacers are limping in from a 7-gamer, and the defending champs are coming off a lackluster defeat of the Sixers. Look for Detroit to take this one and for Steve Jackson to punch someone. He's crazier than Artest, trust me.

Pistons in 6



Seattle vs San Antonio- Spurs lead 1-0

You get blown out of the joint and Ray Allen and Radmanovich turn their ankles? I'll give the Sonics two games at home, and then the Spurs send them packing. The offense will click for Seattle twice, and they can 3-pointer their way to a win or two. Otherwise, the Spurs are too good, and they want their validation.

Spurs in 6



Dallas vs Phoenix- Series not started

The MVP (cough-bullshit-cough) leads the NBA's winningest team to face his old mates in Big D. A worst to first trip for Phoenix overshadowed that the Mavs were better this year without Nash. I like this series a lot, but must admit that I dont know how to call it. The suns were the best team in the NBA, and when they get rolling they are a force. However, the Mavs will have the best player in the series with Dirk, and they are no offensive slouches themselves. Lets go to the positions:

Center: Amare vs Eric Dampier
Lunch is served. The self-proclaimed "second most dominant big-man in the game" gets destroyed by the man-child. Edge- Suns

Power-forward: The Matrix vs Dirk
Shawn Marion is a two-way player whose rebounding and blocks went largely unnoticed though they were near the top of the NBA. Dirk is 7 feet tall and can shoot from anywhere. i think he is waiting to erupt, and people will remember how goos a player he is Edge- Mavs

Small Forward: Q-Rich vs Josh Howard
these players are a great matchup, as the athleticism of howard lets him defend Q. Edge to Q on three point range, and experience. Edge- Push

Shooting Guard:Joe Johnson vs Mike Finley
another good match-up. i figure on Finley to use his years to take the young gunner, provided he is healthy. However, Johnson thrives in his role in this offense. Edge- Push

Point Guard: Steve Nash vs Jason Terry
the MVP for 2005 (cough-no Defense-Cough) vs A capable PG for the Mavs. I do wonder what would happen if you let another player helm the Suns, but i will give it to Nash. Though he doesnt deserve the hardware, but he does outpoint Terry at his position.
edge-Suns


Coach: Mike D'Antoni vs Avery Johnson
For implementing his system so well, I give it to Mike over Avery and inexperience. Edge- Suns

Bench- Marquis Daniels, Alan Henderson, Devin Harris, Stackhouse, and gimpy Van Horn vs Steve Hunter, Jim Jackson, Walter McCarty, Bo Outlaw, Jake Vohskul, and Barbosa.

Stackhouse is the best of the bunch. Jim Jacks is second. Rest wont see many minutes. Turns on Van Horns health

Edge- Mavs


Prediction- Suns in 7?? Dont hold me to it.

Upon Quick Updates

The Widening Geier

Hey- Win a goddamned ballgame why dont'cha? Series losses to the D-rays?? Twice?? Already?? I know not for whom the bell tolls, but Cashman, Torre, and any not franchise player better hear the palls.

On the NBA Playoffs-
Heat Swept, though Ill take credit for Heat in 5 b/c Jerz should have had Game 3.

Detroit Won in 5, with the only Sixer win going on AI's back (as usual)

Indy is up 3-2, and I still think this goes 7. Pacers still win.

Washington wins on an Arenas jumper at the OT buzzer after nearly choking it away. This one goes 7 too, Bulls still win.

Phoenix with the brooms. Big surprise.

San Antonio wins in 5. Good thing I stuck with TD. Denver Game 1 was big fluke.

Houston wont win in 6, but Dallas might. T Mac has to salivate over his potential next round Match-up...

Seattle, who beat a Kings team who was injured, and now sees that C-Webb and Vlade made everyone a lot better. Seattle is the sleeper of this playoffs


more later

The Widening Geier

The Widening Geier
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