Atlas Shrugs

PAJAMA MEDIA CLOSES ITS DOORS

Pajama media is shutting down the blog. I can't say I am surprised. What a disappointment and enormous waste of precious and rare blog investment.

I was one of the original pajama bloggers. I thought PJM was going to rival AP, UPI, Reuters. Finally, a news portal of citizen bloggers and journalists that would counter the Pali stringers and left wing biased journalists of the news gathering agencies. But PJM went off the rails. Simon decided to chase big names for big money, but to what end?  Who needed another NRO or WSJ Best of the Web? And unlike the left, where Soros, Hollywood libtards and Google-type asshats embarrassingly fund the leftwing sites vis a vis Moveon.org et al, the right has none of that. None. We live on fumes. G-d bless our small advertisers and our readers who contribute.

So it was thrilling that someone was bankrolling the original idea. But Pajama never got it, never understood who or what they were. They were compelled to present both sides. Why? The left didn't have enough - TV, print, cable, left-nets? The idea of balanced coverage was a shoot-yourself-in-the foot strategy. The left owns it all -- why couldn't we have one well financed portal on the web that unabashedly promoted conservative, rational, reasoned arguments and positions with style and chutzpah?

Well, Pajama wasn't it. It was never really on anyone's radar screen except the big names they paid silly sums to. They never released their traffic - never. They would include all the PJM bloggers numbers added together when discussing readership. They would never post sitemeter (Atlas has approximately 20,000 views a day).

I joined when Pajama launched .......... summer 2005. Atlas was 4 months old  - with 400 readers a day. I stayed a year. They paid small blogs almost no dough -- while prohibiting us from taking any other advertising. No other advertising. Hey, no one is in this for the money, but we ain't commies either. So I left. And I never missed it. I thought they missed the boat, lost a golden opportunity to alter the direction of human history. Huff Po, that maroon, did a better job than all those geniuses at PJM.

Can you imagine if I were given 20% of what was invested in PJM? I am one person. No assistants, no interns, no editors, nuthin. I would have had bands of free men roving the world reporting into Atlas central. TV, video, newsletters, action alerts, campaign headquarters -- serious ass whuppin.

Here is the breakup letter.

Dear Jeff,

As you know, last September Pajamas Media began a new initiative in Internet television called Pajamas TV. When we started with our RNC coverage from Minneapolis, we noted that we would be in a Beta Phase through the first quarter of 2009. In the last few months we have strengthened the PJTV lineup with shows covering Media Bias, Education Bias, Middle East Update, Sharia and Jihad, Powerline Report, Ask Dr. Helen, Hugh News, Poliwood, Conservatism 2.0, Economy and Finance, National Security, and others.

As the end of the first quarter approaches and we near the production phase of Pajamas TV, we will continue to build our emphasis in this area. As a result we have decided to wind down the Pajamas Media Blogger and advertising network effective March 31, 2009. The PJM portal and the XPressBlogs will continue as is.

Since our ad relationship continues for the time being, you should note that in order to be paid for the 1st quarter of 2009, you must leave the current Pajamas ads up until 12:01AM April 1. We will be sending you information in mid-March on removing the ads. As of April 1, 2009, you will be free to arrange syndication or re-sale deals.

We thank you very much for participating during the formative years of Pajamas Media and we look forward to working with you in other ways. One of those is, of course, Pajamas TV. If you have any ideas in that regard, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Our best wishes in the new year and again our deepest gratitude for your participation in Pajamas Media.

Sincerely,

Roger L. Simon

And so now the focus is Pajama Television. Have you seen the line-up? Can you rattle off the VLOG talent? Are they still charging for it?

Nuts.

UPDATE: I find it strange that Pajamas Media is the sponsor of bloggers row - yes, Atlas is an official blogger of CPAC this year (last year too). When I heard that Pajamas Media had taken over bloggers row I thought it would only be PJM bloggers (not too interesting) and I thought maverick blog voices would be silenced.

I don't know who the other bloggers are, but CPAC did recommend me and PJM said OK. When I see who else is there, I'll know more. But why did PJM sponsor bloggers row (first time bloggers row was taken over) when they were signing off from the blog biz?

Just askin'...

UPDATE: Pajamas Media is not the first sponsor of CPAC's blogger's row.

UPDATE: Uh oh, the Queen is back. 

Vanity Press: Wolcott The other Queen of the Pig people

Over at Vanity Fair, more leftarded yellow journalism from the queen here.

Pathetic, really.

That overgrown tyke Dennis the Peasant, who has been trying to flag my attention in a most undignified manner, has certainly snagged my interest with reports of a rumored divorce between Pammycakes of Atlas Shrugs and Pajamas Media; it would be tragic indeed if this once-beautiful relationship, this marriage made in bedlam, had gone south, splitsville, over the falls, off the rails. But painful clues emerge. Her clubhouse no longer proudly boasts the Pajamas Media Network Blogger insignia (though with all that ugly crud running the lengths of her site columns, it's like scouring a flea market to find anything), and, as D the P observes, she's been verbally snuggling up to those poindexters over at Powerline--i.e., the competition. Perhaps she was flirting with defection to make Roger L. Simon so red-hot with jealousy that he could fry an egg on his head and then serve it to Michael Ledeen for brunch. I don't profess to know. But if Pammy and PJM have met a sad parting of the ways, whose decision was it to file for divorce? It's hard for me to believe Pajamas Media would want to deprive itself of classic stellar Pamela posts such as (actual titles) "Jihadis Behead Baby and Roast It" and "Rosie: Queen of the Pig People."

Bottom line, I left Pajama so that I could sell advertising. Make a couple of bucks. Hellloooooo. GUILTY OF CAPITALISM. I can't sell ads under my agreement with PJM but don't let the facts get in the way of your cheap little obsession. That washer woman just can't keep out of my drawers. The best was  Big Pussy accusing me of  snuggling up to the Powerline boys. Huh? They are a blog, they are not competition. They are bloggers not a portal of various blogs. And we were on a panel together addressing the Young America's Foundation.

I love that about Wolcott, he pretends to be in the thick of things in the blogosphere, jumping on that train as his quasi has been star fades. He doesn't know jack about the blogs. But he has the temerity to comment  so  authoritatively.

The pajama story is a non story. But don't tell the Queen, he/she might have to actually write about something substantial.

Hey Big Pussy, get  a clue. Start writing about the beheadings, slavery, misogyny, oppression, hangings in the name of the global jihad. Believe me woman, your fat neck will be one of the first to go.

Keepin it real baby, from your substancialious blogger.

 

PJM in DC

Just finished up at the Pajama Media event at The National Press Club (ah, the irony) in Washington DC.....the best and the brightest were in attendance. And while I don't have much to report that is new and earth shattering, it was, for me, a wonderful experience. Most of these bloggers I have only emailed, or commented on, or admired from afar. Meeting them was magnificent. My idea of an ideal evening.

PJM will have the podcast and video, good stuff ......... make sure you look for it. Here's a partial audio Download pjm_in_dc926.wav

"“How Partisan Is Too Partisan?"

The issue of high partisanship in the blogosphere is preferable to a highly partisan mainstream media masquerading as objective journalism. At least you know where you stand with the blogs. Honesty vs deceit. Give me the media landscape of Lincoln - a boisterous cacophony of hundreds of disparate voices - let the people decide!

IMAO, the  topic of the panel "“How Partisan Is Too Partisan?" is a luxurious conversation we can not afford. The left is not on the side of America.  Gay rights is a mute point  (Pim Fortuyn!) when the enemy will behead all gays (and Jews, and Christians, and infidels etc.) Abortion is irrelevant if you're dead.  It  seems to me that the only party that matters at this historical crossroads is the party of life, and those who wish to fight to live free. In other words, the Republicans.

Robert Tracinski over at TIA Daily made the most compelling argument for crushing the left come November;

For some time, I have been promising to offer my recommendation for how to vote in November's congressional election. Now that the vote is getting closer, I'm ready to offer it—and it is considerably different from what I originally expected to say.

My recommendation, I should make clear, is for the overall choice between Republicans and Democrats. But of course, in the American system—unlike some of the crazy parliamentary systems in Europe—we don't vote for parties, we vote for candidates. So if your local congressional candidate has championed a particularly evil political agenda, is under indictment, or is named "Katherine Harris," then by all means vote for the other guy. But if your local House and Senate candidates are unexceptional—and too many of them are—then in a narrowly contested election like this one, your vote is really a vote for which party is best qualified to control Congress. It's about which party should have the power to appoint committee chairmen, hold hearings, issue subpoenas, and generally steer the agenda of the legislature.

I have indicated before that my idea of the best outcome was that the Republicans lose and the Democrats don't win. The Republicans, I thought, ought to lose enough seats that they feel they've been punished for tolerating runaway federal spending, while the Democrats ought to fail to regain control of Congress, so they're not able to control congressional committees that would allow them to de-fund the war in Iraq or otherwise undermine the War on Terrorism.

But as the election gets nearer and I think more about what is at stake, I have come to realize that the best outcome is for the Democrats to lose. The Democrats' failure to regain control of either house of Congress would be a good start. But an unambiguous and humiliating defeat—even a loss of Democratic seats in the House and Senate—would be much better.

I have realized that the best thing we can do in this election is to crush the left—because the Democratic Party adds nothing of value to the American political debate.
[...]
What has the left, which is associated with militant secularism, contributed to this debate? Today's Democratic politicians are falling all over themselves trying to demonstrate how religious they are. In a speech last week, former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry lamented that he was too "reticent" in 2004 in discussing how his Catholic faith shaped his political views and called for a "faith-based debate on the issues of war and peace." Meanwhile, favorite leftist strongman Hugo Chavez calls President Bush "the Devil" and claims that Jesus Christ was "the first socialist."

So much for the left's attitude toward Christianity. What about Islam? If you proclaim that faith should never be imposed by force, and you are unwise enough to use Islam as an example—well, then the left-leaning New York Times will be the first to scold you. Sam Harris—author of The End of Faith and a card-carrying member of the secular left—has bitterly complained about his fellow leftists' willingness, in the name of an allegedly secular cultural subjectivism, to make excuses for Islam.

If you want to have a debate over the meaning of religious freedom and the separation of church and state, I think you'll find that the most interesting debates on that subject are going to happen within the right. The left is contributing less and less of any value.

And that brings us to the War on Terrorism. When there is an actual battle raging between secular Western societies and fanatical religious zealots who want to impose their religion by the sword, there is only one political party that is asking you to fight back.

There is a lot of debate on the right over the best way to fight back. Should we commit more troops to Iraq? Should we change the kinds of troops we're deploying, dispersing special forces more widely among Iraqi troops as trainers and advisors? Should we try to undermine the Iranian regime by supporting dissidents, or will we have to use force to prevent the Iranian theocracy from getting the bomb?

What does the left contribute to this debate? Virginia Democratic Senate Candidate Jim Webb complains that we're losing in Iraq and thinks that the answer is to engage in more diplomacy to lure Syria and Iran—our enemies—to "stabilize" Iraq (which they will be happy to do, by making it into an Iranian client state). As Pakistan gives up the fight against al-Qaeda and surrenders its northwestern province to Taliban rule, John Kerry complains that we're losing the war in Afghanistan—and proposes that we increase our aid money to Pakistan. Meanwhile, Bill Clinton returns to wag his finger at us again and insist that his utter failure to strike back at Bin Laden was really the best defense against al-Qaeda that we could have expected.

And I'm not even counting the barking moonbats of the far left who think that al-Qaeda terrorists are "freedom fighters."

So if you want to have a vitally needed debate over how to fight and win the War on Terrorism, you'll have to have it within the right. The left contributes nothing but proposals for surrender, appeasement, and passivity.

As far as the war is concerned, that "D" next to a candidate's name on the ballot stands for "defeat."

A defeat for the Democratic Party in November's election would be a crushing blow. If they lose when every short-term political trend was in their favor, everyone will see it as a public repudiation of the Democratic Party. I advocate this outcome, not because I think it will cause soul-searching and a change of policies within the left—though that may well be the short-term result—but simply because it will add to the disarray and decline of the left. The decay of the left, and of the Democratic Party in particular, is the long-term trend of the past three decades, and we should do everything we can to hasten it, because the more the left fades from the scene, the more the national political debate will be a debate within the right.

Working on the post but here's a taste;
The panel -  Michael Barone (US News), Paul Mirengoff (Powerline), Tom Bevan (Real Clear Politics), Mark Blumenthal (The Mystery Pollster). Moderator:  Glenn Reynold, Cliff May of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. Jane Hall of Fox News Watch.  Richard Miniter.
Below, left to right, Roger Simon at the dais introducing the panel - Reynolds, Bevan, Blumenthal, Hall, May, Mirengoff, Rosett

Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit, Tom Bevan, Real ClearPolitics and pollster, Marc Blumenthal

Michael Barone and Bevan, RCP


Mary Katherine Ham.May my girls grow up to be just like her. If she represents the future, then the future's so bright, I gotta wear shades.

Tigerhawk and Atlas

Paul Mirengoff  of Powerline and Claudia Rosett

Contemporary hero, Cliff May, Foundation for the Defense of Democracies

Atlas and my favorite editor in chief, Gerard Van der Leun

The inimitable Michael Totten

Barone ............

TIGERHAWK! I spent a good amount of the evening with Tigerhawk and while he is probably the most bi-partisan of the bloggers, I enjoyed his POV, inasmuch as it differed from my perspective.  He speaks of Hillary as a legit candidate - not my POV.

The room was sprinkled with innovative thinkers, truth tellers, great minds - Neo neocon , Gates of Vienna, Ace of Spades, Faustas Blog, Solomonia2....the best of the blogs in attendance.

 Nidra Poller  (right) and I

I will have more as soon as I get back to New York

UPDATE: Tom Bevan of Real Clear Politics  thinks partisanship is a good thing here;

In a broader sense, the whole notion of objectivity in the media has fallen away on partisan lines. Conservatives look at FOX News and find the coverage exactly as advertised ("fair and balanced") while liberals see FOX as a shameless propaganda machine and mouthpiece of the Bush administration. Liberals read the New York Times and believe they're getting an objective take on the news, conservatives see a paper thoroughly riddled by liberal partisanship engaged in an agenda-journalism crusade against the Bush administration.

There aren't any profound conclusions to draw - not by me anyway - except that when it comes to discussing "how partisan is too partisan," the left and the right will have to agree to disagree. It was a great event last night and I was honored to be included among such a distinguished panel of guests.

Josue Sierra writes about it at  TownHall

One key thing was clear from last night's conversations. The MSM is in decline, and the blogosphere is maturing and growing. I'm looking forward to seeing first hand what this means come November and 2008.

I think we are more partisan because more Americans are understanding what is at stake--a root understanding of how we see the world around us, and how that affects policy makers. If all religions are equal, and if good and evil is relative, or worst--non existent--then why would anyone care about partisanship?

Most people do care because most people understand that there is a right & wrong, and good & evil, and in today's political environment, the Democrats have chosen to embrace all sorts of ideologies, basically standing for nothing out of fear of offending someone (except Christians, of course...they don't count for the Liberal left). Most Americans want a leadership that will stand for what most Americans believe in, and the left is just out of touch with this.

More from  Paul Mirengoff over at  Power Line,  TigerHawk and check out GayPatriot, who was sitting right behind me unbeknownst to me :-(

UPDATE: Classical Values wrote a great post here. Well done

Pajamas in DC

Hey, you going? C'mon, let's rock the National Press Club..........in pajamas. More here

PAJAMAS AT THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB:

POLITICSCENTRAL will host a panel discussion/reception at the National Press Club in Washington DC on September 26. 5:30PM cocktail reception / 6:30 Panel. Topic: “How Partisan Is Too Partisan?” Confirmed panelists so far:  Michael Barone (US News), Paul Mirengoff (Powerline), Tom Bevan (Real Clear Politics), Mark Blumenthal (The Mystery Pollster). Moderator:  Glenn Reynolds.

Cliff May of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. Jane Hall of Fox News Watch. Nidra Poller from Paris!   Richard Miniter. (This event will be videotaped and podcast.

UPDATE: Bloggers join Bush in bill signing ceremony

Saddam: 46,000 Boxes to Go

Hugh Hewitt here;

The WeeklyStandard's Stephen Hayes is mining the Iraqi docs and finding huge stories. Hayes is also keeping track of others' efforts, including an important piece from Foreign Affairs about which hayes writes:

A new and highly illuminating article in Foreign Affairs draws on hundreds of Iraqi documents to provide a look at the Iraq war from the Iraqi perspective. The picture that emerges is that of an Iraqi regime built on a foundation of paranoia and lies and eager to attack its perceived enemies, internal and external. This paragraph is notable:

The Saddam Fedayeen also took part in the regime's domestic terrorism operations and planned for attacks throughout Europe and the Middle East. In a document dated May 1999, Saddam's older son, Uday, ordered preparations for "special operations, assassinations, and bombings, for the centers and traitor symbols in London, Iran and the self-ruled areas [Kurdistan]." Preparations for "Blessed July," a regime-directed wave of "martyrdom" operations against targets in the West, were well under way at the time of the coalition invasion

Think about that last sentence.

The documents are painting an undeniable picture of a regime evil beyond comprehension. As Robert Kaplan has explained on my show, the Stalinist horror built by Saddam would never have "evolved," would never have moderated, would eventually have attacked us, and perhaps sooner than any of us imagined.

Keep checking back to the Weekly Standard's website.

And over at the mothership Pajama Media;

---

SADDAM DOCUMENT PROJECT: IRAQFILES

The Pentagon is releasing many never before seen Saddam era documents and media. A large number of these are still in the original Arabic. The hope is that the blogosphere will help translate. At our new IRAQFILES blog PJM will monitor and post the growing number of translations from an Army of Translators of these documents and media. The first two, of the same document, are here (by Iraq the Model) and here. Others are being posted (with analysis) at the IRAQFILES.

~~ Mental Notes~~

Muslim Scholars denounces accusations against Syria
uh, am I crazy or is muslim scholar an oxymoron

Really DUMB JEWS?

Woman in France Receives World's First Face Transplant
now if they could only master the "soul" transplant, then we'd be getting somewhere

Hamas Leader Says His Group Won't Renew Truce After Palestinian Elections: Attacks Must Accompany Political Process -
uh, what's a truce?

Teddy"I can swim she can't" Kennedy's Spirited moment

Kerry's comeback

The New 'Fake but Accurate'
"Some climate experts have said the potential cooling of Europe was paradoxically consistent with global warming caused by the accumulation of heat-trapping 'greenhouse' emissions."--New York Times, Dec. 1

'It Is Unclear Whether the Anonymous Quotes Are Authentic'
"As part of an information offensive in Iraq, the U.S. military is secretly paying Iraqi newspapers to publish stories written by American troops in an effort to burnish the image of the U.S. mission in Iraq," claims a story in the Los Angeles Times. More here

Direct contradiction by the global warming crowd inside of 24 hours on whether Europe is going to freeze or melt... and who cares anyway if the Islamofascists have the run of the place? See: "100% Chance of We Don't Know"

A new American credit card allows holders to donate money to Israeli causes with every purchase. Where do I sign?

Photo credit: Corante

On the Radio ooh oh oh oh On the Radio

Hey guys...............I will be on the radio this weekend. Yup silent to talkies, you can check my voice out (my brain you already know you). WPKN schedule here.

I have a radio interview scheduled at 12:30 on Sunday with Robert Spencer (following at 1pm). It will be on listener-supported WPKN 89.5 FM (Bridgeport, CT) and WPKM 88.7 (Montauk, NY), with an audio stream at http://wpkn.org/ontheair.html. The program is "Morning Maniac Music" with David Golden. He said he'd be sure to play some Billie Holiday for me. Please tune in, it would be the perfect background noise for all that family fussin going on post Thanksgiving glow.

And don't forget that rare interview Thomas Sowell is giving Fred Barnes Saturday evening, November 25th on Fox at 5:30 pm est.

Woo hoo, what a weekend, what an all star line up.  Sowell, Atlas and Spencer, oh yeah and football.

Hooha! OSM Climbs back into Pajamas Media, that is

Back into bed everyone! OSM is going back to who we really are, Pajama clad Mujahideen (he he)
I love a good marketing kerfuffle, remember the "New Coke"? Nothing like a good lesson in brand loyalty, eh?

Once upon a time, some friends who met in the casual atmosphere of the blogosphere (us) got together and decided it would be groovy to start a blog company. "We could call it Pajamas Media," we said, referring to the now-famous quote by whatshisface, who disparaged bloggers as a bunch of guys sitting around in their sleepwear. Well, we were as surprised as anyone when we managed to raise a significant amount of capital to form said company. READ >>

It's who we are.
Bah dah bing, bah dah boom.

Comfortably esconced in my La Perla...............(me?  I never changed out of them.)

The Fifth Column at Work

Everyday, everyday, everyday the MSM reports the daily death count of our soldiers, and notice they always say "at least"

A Look at U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq
AP via Yahoo! NewsAs of Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2005, at least 2,079 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 1,625 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers. The figures include five military civilians.

A Daily Look at Military Deaths in Iraq
AP via Yahoo! As of Sunday, Nov. 13, 2005, at least 2,065 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 1,604 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers. The figures include five military civilians.

A Daily Look at Military Deaths in Iraq
AP via Yahoo! News As of Saturday, Nov. 12, 2005, at least 2,062 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 1,604 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers. The figures include five military civilians.

A Look at U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq
AP via Yahoo! News
As of Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2005, at least 2,071 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 1,614 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers. The figures include five military civilians.

A Look at U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq
AP via Yahoo! News
As of Monday, Nov. 14, 2005, at least 2,067 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 1,613 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers. The figures include five military civilians.

The family of bus driver Kuldeep Singh.  Although not a hero by the standards of Michael Moore or Cindy Sheehan (since he isn't a homicidal 'freedom fighter') Kuldeep saved the lives of dozens in New Delhi.ReligionofPeace

Every single day, they club us like baby seals. These men and women fighting the war on radical jihad and these harpies never note the number of deaths due to islamic terror, never so much as inquire. NUMBER OF DEAD! What is that number?

I have posted on this a number of times and will continue to until this bias against the West, the Bush Doctrine, the American people, until the war is won.

Soldiers die. It is a horror. That's what soldiers do. That's what an army is for. That is the military's job, to defend and protect. Fighting al qaida in Iraq is a brilliant strategy. Taking down major buildings in NYC is an act of war. Khobar act of war. USS Cole act of war. You get my meaning.

WE NEED A DAILY TALLY OF MURDERS AT THE HANDS OF RADICAL JIHADI ISLAMOFASCIST TERRORISTS. NOT JUST THE NUMBER OF DEADLY HOMICIDE ATTACKS, THE NUMBER OF DEAD AND INJURED.  CAN SOMEONE HELP ME DETERMINE THIS NUMBER?

>Bill Clinton Calls Iraq 'Big Mistake',  Atlas Calls Bill Clinton 'Bigger Mistake'

[BTW, this snake] told Arab students Wednesday the United States made a "big mistake" when it invaded Iraq, stoking the partisan debate back home over the war.

"partisan debate" euphemism for low grade civil war  - Atlas

UPDATE: November 17

A Look at U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq
Thu, 17 Nov 2005
As of Thursday, Nov. 17, 2005, at least 2,083 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 1,628 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers. The figures include five military civilians.   

UPDATE:

With all the wonderful news coming out of Iraq these days, leave it to the mainstream media to highlight this (day in, day out, here) no mention of the barbarism and death at the hands of radical islam;

A Look at U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq AP via Yahoo!
As of Thursday, Nov. 24, 2005, at least 2,104 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 1,653 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers. The figures include five military civilians.

Yo Yahoo. It's the first democracy in the Arab world ever, you seditionists! Go ahead turn over another journalist to the Chinese you sniveling treasonsists!

Way more innocent American civilians died on 9/11. But that's not important.

November 26th: They just can't stop. Sick sick sick.

A Look at U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq
Sat, 26 Nov 2005 04:22 pm PST
AP - As of Saturday, Nov. 26, 2005, at least 2,105 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 1,653 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers. The figures include five military civilians. Full Story

 

Witnessing History OSM, Open Source Media

The Rainbow Room is just the most New York you can get and the NBC (how ironic) Rockefeller Center building is a testament to magnificent art deco architecure. Very Howard Roark.........and it was all such an Ayn Rand moment..

There were so many great little blog moments. Riding up in the elevator. A handsome gentlemen politely introduced himself and I responded in kind. When I asked him if he was attending the pajama media event, he said "I hope so", I said "so who are you?"..he said "Astute Blogger" (whose blog I adore and link to frequently) and of course I went off. Love his passion.

The strange peculiar wonder of the blogosphere is you can be standing next to a complete stranger and suddenly, you find out he/she is someone you know/love/adore/admire.
So great. No photos of Astute, he must remain anonymous. He has already lost business due to his political leanings on the blog.

Views breathtaking, cuisine Cipriani - but everything paled in the incandesce of these these  John Galts.

IT was a moment. I believe I witnessed history being made. I know there is this ginormous question mark as to the viability of such an enterprise. But there is no doubt, none, there is a void which grows with each misstep the MSM takes.

Roger opened the program and Charles followed, you could just feel the love for thiese guys. They laid out the objective of OSM, talk about preaching to the converted.

The first panel on fashion/beauty blogs was weak, silly and somewhat demeaning to smart women (actually to all women) but it was worth the price of admission to watch the opening panelist, Elizabeth Hayte (pronounced eerily enough - Hate ) of The New York Times (d'oh) whine that she had no idea why she was there, that she doesn't read blogs, none of her friends read blogs, "blogs are for rich people with nothing to do" and this priceless chestnut "I don't care what the layman thinks"............so elitist, condescending and out of touch (but she did love my jacket). Worth noting , Beauty Addict. She was poised, articulate and on top of her game. Gorgeous too. Smart little blog.

The second panel was really juicy. Kudlow moderated Podhoretz (so klug*), Corn, Richard (Belmont Club - so smart and thoughtful), and "where is her Pulitzer?" Rosset...........great discourse on the current state of news dissemination.

Lunch followed, dined with La Shawn (so fabulous is she), Tim Blair, Wizbang, Roger (Business Week), Evan Brain-terminal.com, Clive Davis et al

Pictured  Wizbang, Atlas,  Evan Brain-terminal.com, La Shawn (so fabi!)
 

Lots of my Hawk peeps were there........Judith, Susan, Asher Abrams of Dreams into Lightning, Bruce of Gay Patriot, and Luigi, LGF commenter popped in! He works across the street (very cool). Pieter Dorsman of Peaktalk and I grabbed each other for a lamentation on Eurabia, he is in thick of it.....read his blog.

Keynote speaker Judith Miller, Senator Cornyn (good man) followed. They must have written Judith one ginormous golden parachute check, because she did fall over herself to insist the NYT was a great institution, and a wonderful yada yada yada.

Loved the topic..............the current shield law up for a vote, should apply to bloggers as well.

I don't how it all will shake out but meeting these people was a once in a lifetime. If we can't make it go, Western Civilization will suffer, baby.

   

       With La Shawn (she rocks)                                and Judith Jailbird Miller

gotta go, there is the partay................

UPDATE: Party pics uh huh uh huh!

Claudia Rosett, Cliff May(on my left) has the best intelligence on the web, Foundation for the Defense of Democracies

Judith from Keshertalk and Mara         Tigerhawk and Austin Bay (Great)

            

                VodkaPundit (drinking wine - heh heh)

UPDATE: November 18th (chai!)

Having exhaled, I just read my breathless mid-inertia post on the OSM event on some troll infested left wing blog. My sophomoric exuberance is almost pathetic (at my age sophmoric is inexcusable).

But that is exactly how I felt and how I continue to feel. More so in the radioactive glow  of the post-launch snarkfest.

Apparently, nobody "gets it". It's a "non working business model". It is not economically feasable (even the attendees expressed some skepticism).

But I get it. Non working business model? It is an "original" business model. Organizing chaos. An intelligent conduit to harness and make sense of the incredible depth, breath and intelligence of an unbridled blogosphere.

Not only was a witness to history, I was a part of it.

Hooha.........

wink art: subgenius

UPDATE: Landes over at Solomonia has an excellent post on his observations of the OSM launch. I find him and Pedro Zuquete, (the Portuguese Errol Flynn) very entertaining , smart. I was ROTLMAO, looking forward to parts 2, 3, 4 and 5.

Bad Hair Blog weighs in here

Iowahawk gives us the OSM Q&A here

Isn’t OSM just a collection of right wing blogs?

Not true! The OSM roster includes several voices from the Left, like David Corn, who will soon be known as the “Alan Colmes of the Internet.”

 

The Last Supper for Pajama Media

Not alot of time to post (on not alot of sleep)  but for those followers of Pajama Media, here are some snaps of the first  (and last supper) at a chi chi little boite in the Big Apple last night. All of the Masters of the Blog Universe were present............Roger Simon, Charles Johnson, Glenn Reynolds (indeed), Tim Blair, Steve Vodka Pundit, Richard  Belmont Club, Neo Neo Con, Austin Bay, Kesher Talk , David Corn, Gerard, to name drop just a few of the luminaries tha lit up the night. For me, it will be a night "seared" into my memory, never have I been in such  erudite, brilliant, delicious company. Sort of like being back in the amniotic sac but conscious.........whatevuh. The hangover is well worth it. Gotta get dressed - contractions have begun on OSM (Open Source Media, new name for PJM,  long may it shake, rattle and roll)
   
Charles! 
 
Charles, Magnus, Atlas, Clive                  Neo Neo Con, Richard Belmont Club

Austin, Richard, Roger                            Roger and me aka the KingMaker and I

Belmont, Atlas, Tim Blair                           Lisa Vincent (Steven's widow)

    
The Instarpundit himself, Glenn Reynolds..........yes indeedy heh heh

BTW, Wretchard of Belmont Club and Tim Blair both flew in from Australia, Clive Davis in from England, Charles, Gerald,  Ed Driscoll, Roger in from the left coast, Neo Neo Con Maine - You just gotta love these guys (me?  I walked three blocks)

 
UPDATE: November 17 Thumbs down to dirty old man Wolcott.

What's left of his brain is in the gutter. Look at the picture. I am giving a thumbs up to OSM.

UPDATE December 23rd : The stupidity never ends ..............more here

For Pajama Media Tomorrow is the Future

Blogger Malkin Part of 'Pajamas Media' Rollout

New York Sun Front page
WASHINGTON - As some of America's most widely read online journalists gather in New York this week to roll out a new blog consortium, one of the blogosphere's leading lights, Michelle Malkin, sums up their craft in one word: "liberating."

It also will be part of Pajamas Media, the 70-blog collaborative being unveiled Wednesday at a reception in the Rainbow Room in New York that will include remarks by a former New York Times reporter, Judith Miller. A project of bloggers Roger Simonof Roger L. Simon ,and Charles Johnson, of Little Green Footballs  Pajamas Media's editorial board includes the New York Post's John Podhoretz and two columnists who appear weekly in The New York Sun, Michael Barone and Mark Steyn. [and me too - hoo ha!]

Mrs. Malkin said, she is currently consumed by and focused on her "investigative blogging."

"This is the future," she said.

Tomorrow is D Day..............I will report all - Atlas

Fine Company Indeed; Pajama Media's Ginormous Get

The Ultimate Slumber party has snagged it's latest 'get'- Larry Kudlow signs onto Pajama Media

Larry is CEO of Kudlow & Co. LLC, an economic and investment research firm. He hosts Kudlow & Company, a nightly TV series for CNBC. He’s also a contributing editor at National Review, a nationally syndicated columnist and author of American Abundance: The New Economic and Moral Prosperity. Larry attended the University of Rochester, and Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. His first job was as a junior economist at the New York Federal Reserve Bank.

I am in fine company indeed