The Obamas and Beyonce - At Last - Speaks For Itself - Use Full Screen/HD

Watch Full Screen / Hi Def, so click HQ and turn off Annotations. Great Song.

Testing Guitar And Camera - Wayne Lamar On Guitar - John Brody On Camera

Note: You Must view this in Full Screen - Just click th little arrows on the bottom right of video and 'esc' button when done. Wayne Lamar, guitarist, trying out a new guitar in a music store I was in yesterday. I'm a Blues fan and I liked his sound, so I asked if I could video a bit of his playing. A very nice gent, he nodded a yes and I grabbed my Canon 5D Mark II out of the car. I'd never shot a video before, ever, so I stuck it on my tripod, fumbled a few settings and hit record. Forgive the background noise, but after, all the owner was nice enough to let me set up a camera in the middle of his store... Here you go, a 90 secong clip, the Flickr Maximum...

Los Angeles Zoo - A Photographer's Delight by John Brody

Until the recently, I hadn't been to the Los Angeles Zoo for two decades. In the last month I’ve been there five times. A renewed interest in photography and the new generation of equipment made me look for a good testing ground. A model shoot is not the right time or place to be learning a new lens, and the availability and variety of subjects at the zoo allows you to try everything from Telephoto to Wide Angle to Macro - the options are limitless.

The first visit can be frustrating; try waiting two hours for a Sumatra Tiger to move… They move when they want to. After a couple of chats with the animal handlers, and in my case running into a nice and zoo knowledgeable fellow photographer (thank you MickiP65 on Flickr) you get a feel for when the different animals are active, when the light will be right for each of the critter domains, and testing starts running smoothly. It becomes enjoyable instead of a grind. If the animals cooperate, and they do definitely have minds of their own, you can get some nice shot as you get the hang of the equipment.

On the subject of equipment… I should give a nod to Woodland Hills Camera and manager Scott Bloom, who I’ve been dealing with lately. Many local camera stores are feeling the effects of the economy, the digital revolution (competing with the national retailers) and are closing their doors, letting inventory get thin, or letting staff go, and usually and unfortunately, the highest paid and most experienced are the first to go. Woodland Hills Camera has been able to avoid these problems, and Scott is very experienced, willing and able to give advice, and has a strong dislike for having to say “No” when asked if a piece of equipment is in stock.

Other stores in my area of L.A. are lean on inventory and have resorted to having one unit which they shuttle around to the various stores when a customer asks for it. I saw one Canon Telephoto, the same exact unit, at three different branches of a mini-chain, and it’s box (and I assume the lens also) was more tattered and banged up each time I saw it from being bounced around from store to store in the transfer shuttle. Not the way I want to buy a new Canon L-Series high range zoom lens.

To make a long story short (too late?), I’ve never had Scott say no when I’ve asked if something is in stock, he always has multiple units so you can feel the factory freshness of your new lens, body, or whatever. Also, pricing is competitive, in fact the lens cost less from Scott than at the place with the Beater/ Shuttle Transfer unit. Enough on this… suffice it to say that if you want a good place to shop you may want to give Scott a visit or a call.

JossPhoto - Creative Digital Art - A John Brody Favorite

A nod to Schmoo on SmugMug on this one - I stumbled across Schmoo's samples of her favorite photographers and artists and found this gallery by Iryna Smolych who also works under the moniker JossPhoto. I have to agree with her on this choice. Take a look at the images and click to view her full portfolio... I think you'll like what you see.

Favorite Photographer - Lord V AKA Lord Vetinari - By John Brody

Wandering through a forum recently I came across the images of a very interesting photographer, and given the impression they left on me, I want others see the works as well. Specializing in the Macro realm, he has a huge body of work, and the talent he brings to the task are remarkable. The three photos posted at left will give you a taste of his style and technical skills.

Photographer Brian Valentine, who is a PhD Microbiologist who retired early, has re-kindled his interest in photography. Adopting the moniker LordV (due to his being a Terry Pratchett Discworld book fan who admired the character Lord Vetinari) he has done a great deal of work on the internet and has many admirers. I'm one of them. I have linked his images here to his SmugMug portfolio and there are a couple more links at the bottom of this post for a huge variety of info and photos.

While the images are what initially grabbed my attention, another factor cemented my interest. While many photographers are very secretive about their methods and equipment, he takes the opposite approach. He’s obviously spent a great deal of time and energy in explaining his techniques, tricks of the trade, and the equipment he uses, and is very detailed in doing so, to the point of providing photos of the whole process.

Well, enough talking… I quess you can tell that I like what he’s done. I think after you look through his body of work and his explanations, you’ll feel the same. Enjoy! -- John Brody

Flickr - Photos, advice, tutorials - A Great Source

SmugMug Photo Album

A List Of The Ever Present Year End Lists for 2008

Here are a few of the year end lists that cover some of the more interesting, telling or flat out unbelievable stories of the year.

Regret The Errors looks back at the year in journalistic blunders and spotlights the industry’s malfeasance - including the publishing of inaccurate, false and damaging stories. Regret also prints a list of the Best Apologies, Best Typos, and a fun little piece entitled, “Rick Reilly: Cat Nip for Plagiarists.”

Foreign Policy captures the top errors in prognostication, and features glorious predictions from Bill Kristol (“Barack Obama is not going to beat Hillary Clinton in a single Democratic primary. I’ll predict that right now”) and CNBC’s Jim Cramer (“Bear Stearns is not in trouble… Don’t move your money from Bear! That’s just being silly! Don’t be silly!”).

Lifehacker serves up the Top How-to Videos, and this list doesn’t show you how to landscape the dining room or remodel the deck. Instead, you get important tips such as how to pry open a beer bottle using folded paper, video guide on how to fold T-shirts in one move, and how to boost your Wi-Fi signal with tinfoil parabolas.

Time Magazine – nestled in their 50 Top Lists list – has the Top Ten Earmarks of the past 12 months, showing taxpayers just how well our elected officials manage money (such as the $2 million for wooden arrow makers hidden in the massive October bail-out bill and the million bucks for New York state’s Woodstock Museum.)

On the Collateral Damage website you can review the Top Marketing Blunders that include John McCain’s presidential campaign and Disney mind boggling move of selling Tween girls’ “High School Musical” panties with the phrase “Dive In” on them.

Multinational Monitor can point you to the Worst Corporations of the Year (yep, AIG wins the gold), and tell you why Cargill, Dole, and Chevron also made the list.

Extreme Mortman rolls out the Funniest Political Quotes, with Nancy Pelosi’s “I have always loved longitude…I love latitude” quip among the faves.

And lastly – because it’s incomplete (as of this posting only numbers 21 – 100 have been revealed) - is Discover Magazine’s Top 100 Science Stories.

Enjoy the list of lists, and let me know of any more you feel should be added.

The Auto Industry Bailout - Senator Bob Corker's Valiant Attempt

Is the UAW the party to blame in the collapse of the bailout negotiations? After watching many hours of debate in the congressional hearings, it seems like a pretty workable solution was almost reached. The press conference video below gives the best summary of the issues that I've run across.

The Origin of Rolling Stone Analyzed - Was It The Band? Bob Dylan’s Song? The Magazine?

With the release of the movie Cadillac Records, a new round of debate has sprung up as to who first used or coined the term Rolling Stone or Rolling Stones. Was it the band The Rolling Stones? Was it Bob Dylan's song Like A Rolling Stone? Or maybe Rolling Stone Magazine? The other question that comes up is who coined the phrase “a rolling stone gathers no moss” the accepted original source of the term.

As with most questions regarding the music industry, the answer is convoluted, confusing and multi-faceted. As to when it first occurred to Jann Wenner, Rolling Stone magazine's publisher, or when it popped into the heads of Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, or whoever else was connected to these people who used the term is anyone's guess. A lot of the big ideas of this era happened over drinks, drugs or during jam sessions. After all, it's legend that when Jimmy Page, during an casual visit, told Keith Moon and John Entwistle of The Who that he wanted to bring them into a re-formed Yardbirds and create a new Supergroup, he was ridiculed by the two men and one of them quipped, "that'll go over like a lead balloon,” thus the simple but important origin of the name Led Zeppelin.

The listing below of the startup dates of the three most common suspects gives the strongest evidence as to the first user of the three.

          -   Jul 12th, 1962 - The Rolling Stones played their first formal gig at Marquee Club in London
          -   Aug 30th, 1965 - Bob Dylan releases Like A Rolling Stone on Highway 61 Revisited - Per iTunes
          -   Nov 9th, 1967 - Rolling Stone Magazine publishes it's first issue - Per Wikipedia

Based on the sequenced of events listed above it would seem that the Stones would have claim as the originator of the label of Rolling Stones, but it turns out not to be the case.

Blues Roots

The list above is the simply the first step in a long and winding path. It’s further complicated based or whether you simply want to know which of these three well known names used the Rolling Stone label first, or whether you to know where the term first originated and its underlying meaning. Really, of what use is it to know that Dylan was the 2nd main player to use the term unless you can understand what these words meant in his song when he wailed at the offending person “how does it feel… to be without a home… like a complete unknown… like a rolling stone…? It’s would be meaningless.

The person most commonly cited as the origin of the term is Muddy Waters due to several factors. Mick Jagger and the gang were pretty good at giving credit where it was due, and often mentioned Muddy Waters as an influence. Waters also had a song titled Rolling stone and the Stones stated that they named their band after his song and it’s lyrics. Below is an excerpt of the 1st and 3rd verses of Muddy Waters’ song Rolling Stone. The original song by Muddy is available on iTunes and many other online sites and the lyrics ate unmistakable. You can figure out the rest of the song quite easily.

Well, I wish I was a catfish, swimming in a deep blue sea
I would have all you good lookin women,
fishin, fishin after me
Sure 'nough, a-after me
Sure 'nough, a-after me
Oh 'nough, oh 'nough, sure 'nough

Well, my mother told my father,
just before hmmm, I was born,
I got a boy child's comin,
He's gonna be, he's gonna be a rollin stone,
Sure 'nough, he's a rollin stone
Sure 'nough, he's a rollin stone
Oh well he's a, oh well he's a, oh well he's a.....

OK, so we’ve gotten it back to Muddy Waters, a pretty solid trail up until this point. The song was written in the 40s and recorded between 1948 and 51 depending on which dates you consider. It’s included in Chess Records 1947 to 1955 set, so at least we’re sure it was recorded in that period and written beforehand.

This is where the path gets really messy. It turns out after spending endless hours of research, that nothing is completely clear other than the following: in the 20s through the 40s, there was an active blues circuit in the Mississippi Delta and surrounding areas. There were many performers on the circuit and it was a pretty common practice for the artists to perform other performers songs or “borrow” lines, verses, or entire songs and call them their own. In looking at Waters’ lyrics in his song Rolling Stone, there are often similarities to other songs and one in particular named Catfish Blues where duplicate lyrics appear. Compare the following lines from a verse in a late 1920s recording by Jim Jackson for Volcalion to verse 1 of Muddy’s Rolling Stone:

I wished I was a catfish, swimming in the sea
I‘d have some good woman, fishing after me

Not only did the lyrics seem to merge together, but picking styles, vocal intonations, rhythms, speeds often bounced from artist to artist. It seems it was an accepted practice, or at least an unstoppable one. Some players on the circuit in the 20s and 30s included Elmore James, Jim Jackson. Bumble Bee Slim, Tommy McClennan, Robert Petway, and Muddy Waters. Given the nature and fluidity of the era and lifestyle of the early blues artists, a solid answer is hard to find. Suffice it to say that Muddy Waters is the first person to grab the term and make it his own.

For the answer to the other question as to who originally coined the phrase “a rolling stone gathers no moss” see the short post below.

Who originally coined the phrase “a rolling stone gathers no moss”? A Brief Answer, Sort of… A Follow-Up To The Post Above.

As for finding the origin and meaning of the phrase "a rolling stone gathers no moss" the phrase from which the stand alone term 'rolling stone' is considered to be derived, a lifetime could be spent trying to find a definitive answer as to the true origin. A clue as to the origin follows:

The first person who pops up on the radar as a creator of the term is Publilius Syrus, a Latin writer of maxims, who coined the phrase about 100 B.C. (per Wikipedia and several other sources). From that point forward there are literally hundreds of different variants of the phrase over 2000 years with versions from Chinese to Gaelic and African to Spanish to Swedish. But all of the various versions have the central intent of meaning a person or a thing that is unattached, a drifter, has no roots, responsibilities, stability or concerns.

Just as John Lennon gets credit as the 1st intentional user of feedback with the song I Feel Fine, Muddy gets my vote for the musical birth of the term Rolling Stone. While it's likely others probably used feedback and 'Rolling Stone' before, these men used them well and grabbed our attention making them their own.

President Elect Announces National Security Team - Video

These three videos introduce the new National Security Team as follows: Video 1 is Obama discussing the reasons for his appointments. Video 2 is the individual team members making brief statements as to their roles, and Video 3 is Obama fielding questions from the press. To open larger videos in new window use the three links at the bottom of the post.

Statement of Purpose:



Introductions:



Discussion With The Press:


National Security Team - Video 1 - Larger Format
National Security Team - Video 2 - Larger Format
National Security Team - Video 3 - Larger Format

Reversal of Fortune - Excerpt from Vanity Fair by Joseph E. Stiglitz Nov 2008

Click here for full Vanity Fair article
Reversal of Fortune

Describing how ideology, special interest pressure, populist politics, and sheer incompetence have left the U.S. economy on life support, the author puts forth a clear, commonsense plan to reverse the Bush-era follies and regain America’s economic sanity. (by Joseph E. Stiglitz November 2008)

When the American economy enters a downturn, you often hear the experts debating whether it is likely to be V-shaped (short and sharp) or U-shaped (longer but milder). Today, the American economy may be entering a downturn that is best described as L-shaped. It is in a very low place indeed, and likely to remain there for some time to come.

Virtually all the indicators look grim. Inflation is running at an annual rate of nearly 6 percent, its highest level in 17 years. Unemployment stands at 6 percent; there has been no net job growth in the private sector for almost a year. Housing prices have fallen faster than at any time in memory, in Florida and California, by 30 percent or more. Banks are reporting record losses, only months after their executives walked off with record bonuses as their reward. President Bush inherited a $128 billion budget surplus from Bill Clinton; this year the federal government announced the second largest budget deficit ever reported. During the eight years of the Bush administration, the national debt has increased by more than 65 percent, to nearly $10 trillion (to which the debts of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae should now be added, according to the Congressional Budget Office). Meanwhile, we are saddled with the cost of two wars. The price tag for the one in Iraq alone will, by my estimate, ultimately exceed $3 trillion.

This tangled knot of problems will be difficult to unravel. Standard prescriptions call for raising interest rates when confronted with inflation, just as standard prescriptions call for lowering interest rates when confronted with an economic downturn. How do you do both at the same time? Not in the way that some politicians have proposed. With gasoline prices at all time highs, John McCain has called for a rollback of gas taxes. But that would lead to more gas consumption, raise the price of gas further, increase our dependence on foreign oil, and expand our already massive trade deficit. The expanding deficit would in turn force the U.S. to continue borrowing gargantuan sums from abroad, making us even more indebted. At the same time, the higher imports of oil and petroleum-based products would lead to a weaker dollar, fueling inflationary pressures.

Millions of Americans are losing their homes. (Already, some 3.6 million have done so since the subprime-mortgage crisis began.) This social catastrophe has severe economic effects. The banks and other financial institutions that own these mortgages face stunning reverses; a few, such as Bear Stearns, have already gone belly-up. To prevent America’s $5.2 trillion home financiers, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, from following suit, Congress authorized a blank check to cover their losses, but even that generosity failed to do the trick. Now the administration has taken over the two entities completely, a stunning feat for a supposedly market-oriented regime. These bailouts contribute to growing deficits in the short run, and to perverse incentives in the long run. Market economies work only when there is a system of accountability, but C.E.O.’s, investors, and creditors are walking away with billions, while American taxpayers are being asked to pick up the tab. (Freddie Mac’s chairman, Richard Syron, earned $14.5 million in 2007. Fannie Mae’s C.E.O., Daniel Mudd, earned $14.2 million that same year.) We’re looking at a new form of public-private partnership, one in which the public shoulders all the risk, and the private sector gets all the profit. While the Bush administration preaches responsibility, the words are addressed only to the less well off. The administration talks about the impact of “moral hazard” on the poor “speculator” who borrowed money and bought a house beyond his ability to pay. But moral hazard somehow isn’t an issue when it comes to the high, stakes speculators in corporate boardrooms.

How Did We Get into This Mess?
A unique combination of ideology, special, interest pressure, populist politics, bad economics, and sheer incompetence has brought us to our present condition.


Click here for full Vanity Fair article

Colin Powell's Endorsement of Obama - Hopefully He'll Be On The Executive Team

Whatever your political leanings, Powell's discussion is a 'must see'. As a retired Army general who was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and then served as Secretary of State in the current adminisrtation, Powell has a rare insight into our government from a military, political, foreign relations, and intellectual perspective. A few minutes that will be well spent.

Bush Cold-Shouldered By The G20 Summit Leaders - A Visual Popularity Poll

It appears, finaly, that the world has had enough of our outgoing leader.

This video seems to show that President Bush's approval is in a sorrier state than polls indicate. In a video taken at the G20 summit, Bush walks across a line of world leaders without shaking or being asked to shake any of their hands. As he walks in front of each of the leaders, their eyes move deftly and furtively, avoiding eye contact that might require them to follow up with a handshake. Whether the President is being rejected by the world leaders or he is rejecting them, CNN's Rick Sanchez aptly says that Bush looks like "the most unpopular kid in high school that nobody liked."

A Must See - Funny, But Kind Of Scary Also, Because It's Becoming True

The times, to paraphrase Bob Dylan, they are definitely changing, and this video gives new perspective on the direction we're heading.... Watch it full screen - It's Hi-Resolution so you can actually see it clearly when full screen. Enjoy... and worry.....

Generation Kill - An Embarrassment?

Before I comment on the new HBO series, let me mention that I've included below four short Nightline Videos of an average and surprisingly brutal day in the Middle East war zone. This 20 minute program, shown in four short segments (segments 1 and 3 the most powerful if pressed for time) includes some of the best footage I've seen covering a day in the life of an Airborne platoon in the Middle East. Whatever your views on the war, this will give you food for thought. The soldiers, the firefights, the fears and the deaths are all real and well documented. The photo below is of two of the soldiers lost during that day's battles.

Watch the Nightline Broadcast: The Other War - Part 1
Watch the Nightline Broadcast: The Other War - Part 2
Watch the Nightline Broadcast: The Other War - Part 3
Watch the Nightline Broadcast: The Other War - Part 4


I've included the exceptional videos above because after watching the first episode of this highly anticipated and critically acclaimed mini-series Generation Kill, I was wondering of it was supposed to be a parody instead of a serious show. I certainly hope so. Of course in the military you run into goofball, chest pounding, pussy talking, macho simpletons, but one or two here or there, not an entire platoon. And yes, there were a few leaders who screamed and yelled at the troops in impotent rage, but everyone listened and then pretty much ignored them. It was the quiet leaders with the battle scarred faces and steely eyes that would secure your allegiance with a few measured words that instantly assured you that he was talking from experience and you were in good hands.

Episode One had me convinced that nobody involved with the project could possibly have been in the military, much less anywhere near a war zone. Then, after a few minutes research, I find that the head writer, Ed Burns did an infantry tour in Vietnam. All I can think is that during the re-writes, the direction, or too much time in the editing room, the reality of his experience was left on the cutting room floor. My fear is that the production quality will stay the same and they'll simply start adding gruesomely slaughtered soldiers and think that they've made it poignant.

All I can say is that I'll watch it one more time and if it's the same, I'll say farewell to the series and rent Stripes with Bill Murray. At least it's intentional comedy instead of just a bad production.

Schwarzenegger Hammers Bush On Environment

Governor Schwarzenegger spoke out against President Bush this morning attacking his administration for its failure to counter global warming emissions.

"This administration did not believe in global warming," Schwarzenegger told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in an exclusive interview that will air Sunday on ABC's "This Week."

"They just didn't believe in it or they didn't believe that they should do anything about it, since China is not doing anything about it and since India is not willing to do the same thing, so why should we do the same thing?" Schwarzenegger said.

Schwarzenegger's comments came in reaction to the Environmental Protection Agency's recent decision not to take further action against global warming during the remainder of Bush's presidency. "Well, to be honest with you, if they would have done something this year, I would have thought it was bogus anyway," he said. When asked why, the California Governor said, "because you don't change global warming and you don't really have an effect by doing something six months before you leave office."

Waterboarding First Hand "Believe Me, It's Torture"

August 2008: Christopher Hitchens on waterboarding

What more can be added to the debate over U.S. interrogation methods, and whether waterboarding is torture? Try firsthand experience. The author undergoes the controversial drowning technique, at the hands of men who once trained American soldiers to resist—not inflict—it.

Quote of the Day

"It’s really all down to the Israelis. This administration will not attack Iran. This has already been decided. But the president is really preoccupied with the nuclear threat against Israel and I know he doesn’t believe that anything but force will deter Iran... If I were an Israeli I wouldn’t wait," - a Pentagon official to the Sunday Times in London about a military strike on Iran.

Colbert Roasts Bush Face To Face - Excellent Videos

These are two halves of a single speech given by Stephen Clobert at the White House Correspondents Dinner. The most humiliating point is that all of the seemingly ridiculous statements made by Colbert throughout the whole speech are basically quotes of George W. It's classic to see Bush's death stare at Colbert a few times during the presentation. I've watched repeatedly - Enjoy.

Cheap Shot

What an embarrasment. Thankfully it's over and we can move forward.

Digital TV - Dealing With The Transition

Like it or not, the switch to Digital TV is approaching, scheduled for Feb 17th, 2009. If you're anything like me, you haven't done a damn thing to get ready for it and figure you'll squeeze it in later... Bad idea - November to the Superbowl are the annual nightmare months to start new projects involving retail stores, deliveries, cable companies, etc. I'd start planning now.

If you're lucky, you're a "Call The Guy" kind of person - You know, you call the main TV/Audio expert guy who calls his installer guys and retail sales and delivery guys and they all show up at the right time and place with the electronics and the tools and the job is done correctly. No walls get knocked out to run cables the shortcut way leaving holes in the walls, no broken roof tiles from installing the satellite dishes, no stained carpet, busted furniture, gouged doors, and so on... Everything goes smoothly. Long experience has made me a "Do It Yourself Guy." The last time I tried the "Call The Guy" way, none of the good things happened, and all of the damage did. Fun stuff.

What I'm doing here is simply sifting through the mountains of information available to pull together the relevant, correct, and well presented guidelines and requirements in order to make my "Do It Yourself" approach go smoothly. It's worked in the past, and it will work on this project too. Even if you end up calling someone, you'll be armed with the info you need to ensure the 'guy' is qualified.

Here's the scoop from the FCC, the commission in charge of the transition. A good summary of the reasons, risks and benefits, plus enough info to keep you from getting scammed.
FAQs - The Digital TV Transition - FCC Consumer Guidelines

Remember, converting to Digital TV does NOT require Hi-Definition HDTV - Otherwise, this is a good source for general data.
The HDTV Info Port

The Reach of Rupert Murdoch and News Corp

While talking to an extremely bright sales girl in an electronics store last weekend (more later), she went into a pretty healthy anti Rupert Murdoch rant when I mentioned a Fox News show being displayed on the 100 plus TV sets in the store. She said she wouldn't watch Fox News because Rupert Murdoch owned it and, in her opinion, dislikes his business tactics and considers him a political influence peddler. A very sharp, knowledgeable girl, but as we continued talking, she mentioned her use of MySpace and how the National Geographic channel was one of her favorites. This just underlined to me how few people, even the bright and well informed, actually know the reach of Murdoch and his companies, and his impact on global information and technology systems. Love him or hate him, he's a powerhouse.

The following list shows just how far his reach extends and the breadth of his holdings. The list items are linked back to Wikipedia for a wealth of information behind it all.

Rupert Murdoch Holdings via News Corporation.

Film
Twentieth Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Español
Twentieth Century Fox International
Twentieth Century Fox Television
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Fox Studios Australia
Fox Studios Baja
Fox Studios Los Angeles
Fox Television Studios

Television
20th Century Fox Television
bTV
BSkyB
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Sports Australia
Fox Television Stations
Foxtel
Premiere (19,9%)
Star Group Limited
Sky Latin America
SKY Network Television New Zealand
Sky Television Italy
STAR TV
Latvijas Neatkarīgā Televīzija
TV5 Rīga

Cable
Fox Business Network
Fox Movie Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox Soccer Channel
Fox Sports Channel
Fox Sports Enterprises
Fox Sports en Español
Fox Sports Net
FUEL TV
FX Networks
Fox Reality
National Geographic Channel
SPEED Channel
Turner South
LAPTV (Latin America - co-owned with Paramount Pictures/Viacom, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/MGM Holdings and Universal Studios/NBC Universal)
Telecine (Brazil - co-owned with Globosat Canais, Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Universal Studios and DreamWorks/Viacom);

Internet

MySpace
Photobucket.com
Rotten Tomatoes
Fox Interactive Media
AmericanIdol.com
AskMen.com
Direct2Drive
Fox.com
Foxsports.com
GameSpy
kSolo
IGN
Drownedinsound.com
MyNetworktv.com
NewRoo.com
Strategicdatacorp.com
Scout.com
SpringWidgets
WhatIfSports

Magazines and Inserts
InsideOut
donna hay
News America Marketing
SmartSource
The Weekly Standard
Gemstar / TV Guide

Newspapers
News International
United Kingdom
The Sun
News of the World
The Times
Sunday Times
News Corporation Ltd.
Australia
The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)
The Sunday Telegraph (Sydney)
The Australian (national)
The Advertiser and Sunday Mail (Adelaide)
The Sunday Times (Perth)
Herald Sun (Melbourne)
Sunday Herald Sun (Melbourne)
mX (Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane)
The Courier-Mail (Brisbane)
Geelong Advertiser
Gold Coast Bulletin
The Mercury and Sunday Tasmanian (Hobart)
Northern Territory News (Darwin)
The Sunday Territorian (Darwin)
New Zealand
Sunday Star-Times
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea Post-Courier
Fiji
The Fiji Times
United States
New York Post
The Wall Street Journal

Books
HarperCollins

Miscellaneous
National Rugby League (NRL) (50%)
Sibelius Software
Ansett Australia, Until 2000 (50%)

Puzzling Facts About John McCain

While the context of the post where I found the following info was a mindless McCain bashing liberal post, these details caught my interest. I did some digging and it seems that the first three are quite accurate. The fourth is highly doubtful and has a foundation of speculation and rumor, with a good dose of bullshit thrown in. It appears that McCain is not the brightest bulb in the batch and benefited greatly from dual father and grandfather Admirals.

However, the man did show mountains of courage while in captivity, and for that he deserves major kudos, period. But the qualities that made him an heroic POW may not serve him well in the role of President.

1. He was fifth from the bottom in class rank, 894th out of 899.
2. A sub-par flier, with limited patience for studying aviation manuals.
3. Crashed three planes before being shot down and taken prisoner.
4. Possible/alleged role in Forrestal fire?

The best source I've found is Wikipedia - Check it out for yourself. McCain's Military Career. Below is a photo of John McCain's Capture After being Shot Down over Hanoi and landing in a lake in the middle of the city.