I'd be more impressed if the racket didn't break. Now that would be a selling point for a sponsor.

>> ^Engels:

In the US we're stuck with tasteless Californian pistachios due to protectionist rackets against Turkish pistachios


I find it odd as well how there is something in the law that says California can not export Beefsteak tomatoes, because of how they look or something of that nature.

In the US we're stuck with tasteless Californian pistachios due to protectionist rackets against Turkish pistachios

I wonder if some people in the front lines protected with motorcycle helmets and wielding tennis rackets to bat the tear gas canisters and flash bangs back at them would be effective. For the police to have a valid complaint about the tactic they would have to admit that they were deliberately targeting/throwing AT people for which they in turn would have no moral defense.

The problem with market libertarianism is that it is "liberty" only from a wealthy person's perspective. Unregulated markets do nothing to guard against chattel or wage slavery, labor abuse, environmental destruction, violence or other kinds of exploitation. The libertarian defense to this is usually 'if you work hard enough, you too can be rich', but this argument quickly falls apart when you ask yourself "well, if everyone works hard enough, can everyone be rich?" Of course not. It's a pie in the sky. The other defense is that 'the magic hand will make everything right', which, to me, is indistinguishable from religious faith.

Market libertarianism is the best attempt yet at a moral justification for plutocracy. This is why you see plutocrats like the Koch brothers and the Scaife Foundation spending so much money promoting libertarianism. Though these are generally dishonest people, I don't think they are dishonest in their support of market libertarianism, I think they are true believers every bit as much as you or blankfist.

However, if you look at places like Chad and Somalia that have free market principals in place (small governments, little regulation and low taxes), the quality of life is very low.

In places with stronger social democracies like Belgium, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, the UK (among others) you see happier, healthier people and far less suffering, poverty and unemployment.

If you looked a little deeper past the ego stroking rhetoric about 'individualism' and 'meritocracy' you will see there is no substance to market libertarianism. It's a racket used to sucker citizens into freely giving away democratic power.

I agree that right-libertarians are the most intellectual (and arguably the most pure) type of conservative. Still, these people are generally anti science and anti academia, so (IMO) I don't think they've earned the right to justify that title just yet.

@chilaxe I challenge you to be more critical with your politics; to question what you've been taught, who taught it to you, and what these people stand to gain from your support?

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

I suppose it would be a little different if you had a flat rate $10 review policy for all apps submitted. But that's different from what the email outlined. They're talking about cross-promotion if the company likes your post. They make it quite clear that the objective is to get people to download the app - a shitty review isn't going to help that, and the implication is that you sure won't get any promotional help if that's the case.

It's just dirty, dirty, dirty.>> ^kymbos:

Well, if you review apps on a blog, and someone pays you $10 to review theirs, and you do so honestly - is that so bad? I guess the reader would begin to question your credibility - is that what you're driving at?

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

I just can't see any situation where paid blogging is a "good thing" for bloggers. My understanding is that the pay is not great, but the cost to the blogger is immense. It's large moneyed corporations preying on the little, desperate guy as usual - sucking the life-force of credibility from bloggers for a few bucks. Shameful.

>> ^kymbos:

Really interesting discussion. I have never countenanced the idea of paid blogging. Most of the blogs I read are by frustrated political and economics junkies, and don't really lend themselves readily to product placement.
"This Government's economic policies are counterproductive, not like my new Technocrati app which is easy to use and aesthetically pleasing!"

>> ^dag:

To be fair, I don't think he was linking to his product, rather a tool for disclosure on blogs. >> ^Boise_Lib:
I love how this guy signed up today in order to shill his product.
I Really love how he tried--twice--to link to it (fail).
dag, Thank You for standing by your principles--even in the face of much needed money.



Yeah, I got that after the update I didn't see till after I commented. Still, good on ya.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

To be fair, I don't think he was linking to his product, rather a tool for disclosure on blogs. >> ^Boise_Lib:

I love how this guy signed up today in order to shill his product.
I Really love how he tried--twice--to link to it (fail).
dag, Thank You for standing by your principles--even in the face of much needed money.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

Hi Scott, sorry about the link dropping it's an anti-spam measure for new accounts.

>> ^ScottLyon:

Hey Dag, the disclosure tool I mentioned is . For some reason it dropped out of my post above and I the edit feature is timing out.
Scott

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

Hi Scott, I'm glad to hear that you are requiring disclosure - but in poking around and talking to a few people - I don't believe this is universal.

I take your argument, but in general I think the practice of paid blogging is sleazy and detrimental to the entire blogging ecosystem. You're basically drumming up fake enthusiasm for products or services that a blogger would not normally promote. It's bad for the products and most of all, it's terrible for the blogger, because it erodes any sense of trust that the reader may have had in them.

IMO it's a pretty shameful practice and you'd do well to divorce yourself (and Technorati) from it.

Thanks.

>> ^ScottLyon:

Hi Dag,
Scott here, one of the offending emailers, from the Technorati Media Blogger Outreach team.
My apologies if the receipt of the message offended you. What you’ve shared about bloggers as journalists is certainly true in many cases – and I’m glad we have them doing that important work.
On the flip side, there are many types of bloggers we work with who write passionately about their personal lives, experiences, hobbies, causes, opinions or interests and they welcome opportunities to review new products (like this iPad app) or develop sponsored articles–if the posts fit their editorial direction and keep the integrity of their blog. The “good” and the “bad” of a review is always up to the blogger and sponsored content is typically on a topic the blogger has an affinity for and not about a product itself.
When a blogger works on a campaign with us, we require that they disclose when they have received a product to review or payment for post in the manner of their blog our using a tool like . Most of them are doing this anyway and it’s part of our follow up to the bloggers interested in participating.
We are working on ways and finding tools to better help us connect bloggers with opportunities they find relevant. It's big challenge, but we're working on it.
A big part of my position is not marketing for clients, but to also promote blogs, bloggers and blogging. I huge fan of all the different POVs out there and connecting bloggers to opportunities they might be interested in.
All the best...
Scott Lyon
Blogger Outreach Manager
Technorati Media

Sadly for him, they don't want indigent aliens imigrating either. Otherwise I might start a fund for busses to canada for those wishing to leave...B-bye.
>> ^Krupo:
>> ^cito:
I wish I could afford to leave the U.S. it's getting pretty bad, the media is this huge opinion ratings propaganda machine, telling the facts and news don't exist anymore. Our economy is shit, reputation is shit, and our government most of them need to be hung for treason.
If only I could afford the paper work and the plane ticket to get out, I'd be out as fast as possible, it's time for the smart rats to jump off this sinking ship.

Canada's a bus ticket away...
Also, this video is pure win. My fav is the part when he gets smacked down by the momma bear.

>> ^xxovercastxx:

Wikipedia has a giant table of maternity leave laws across over 150 countries. The US is the only 0 on the chart.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parental_leave


Yea it's pretty bad when countries like the CONGO have far better maternity leave laws than the 'great' USA.

On topic it's rather funny to see a fox news 'opinionator' pull a 180 on worker entitlements. You know what they say, if the shoe fits...

If we waited for perfection, no one would ever have kids. Just saying. And I was offered 3 months time with my kids... So I understand. It was in no way paid, but it was there. My choice to work for a company that isn't run by fucking retards who care only about money at the expense of others (Not saying business is a bad thing, but most businesses don't "live within their means" so they can provide actual benefits to the employees, you know, the job creators?)

>> ^gorillaman:

@razzyl @Yogi and to a substantially lesser extent @packo
We should not be encouraging people to live beyond their means.
Anyone embarking on as expensive and time-consuming a project as parenthood should be prepared for the costs involved. We're not living in so technologically primitive a condition that effective birth control mechanisms are beyond any of us. Given that, it's not unreasonable to expect that we plan for our children in a rational and responsible way.
If I decided for personal reasons to take three months off work to, say build a hot rod or bicycle around asia, I wouldn't ask anybody else to cover the cost. These are individual choices and they require individual investment. Your reward for raising a child is whatever genetic and emotional fulfilment, and the price you pay is hundreds of thousands of dollars and tens of thousands of hours of work. If that's not a bargain you're willing to make then don't. Nobody's forcing you, least of all your boss who only wants you to show up for work so that together you can cooperatively better yourselves and society.
It's precisely because I value our species' future that I oppose incentivising excessive population growth. Globally we're oversubscribed on resources and running up debts we may never be able to repay. Our economies are predicated on a perpetual growth incline that is literally physically impossible. These calamities need to be taken in hand, and it's time to put our instinctive urge to flood the world with progeny behind us.

>> ^cito:

I wish I could afford to leave the U.S. it's getting pretty bad, the media is this huge opinion ratings propaganda machine, telling the facts and news don't exist anymore. Our economy is shit, reputation is shit, and our government most of them need to be hung for treason.
If only I could afford the paper work and the plane ticket to get out, I'd be out as fast as possible, it's time for the smart rats to jump off this sinking ship.


Canada's a bus ticket away...

Also, this video is pure win. My fav is the part when he gets smacked down by the momma bear.