Google wants to control your life

And they’re not shy about it:

Google’s ambition to maximise the personal information it holds on users is so great that the search engine envisages a day when it can tell people what jobs to take and how they might spend their days off.

Eric Schmidt, Google’s chief executive, said gathering more personal data was a key way for Google to expand and the company believes that is the logical extension of its stated mission to organise the world’s information.

Asked how Google might look in five years’ time, Mr Schmidt said: “We are very early in the total information we have within Google. The algorithms will get better and we will get better at personalisation.

“The goal is to enable Google users to be able to ask the question such as ‘What shall I do tomorrow?’ and ‘What job shall I take?’ ”

Has privacy become a quaint, foregone notion?

Business as usual

From lobbying reforms to anti-corruption proposals to curbing earmarks, Democratic lawmakers who railed against Republican corruption a year ago have flinched from imposing the harshest standards on themselves. Consequently, this Democratic Congress may end up no better prepared to police itself than the Republicans were when the Jack Abramoff bribery scandal broke and the spate of criminal convictions it spawned surfaced as a primary reason for voters’ angst last fall.

Will the Democrats be held accountable? Don’t count on it. As far as reform goes, both the media and the public are asleep at the wheel.

Pride needs a facelift

So “The Advocate” informs us that TR Knight is a “hero.” What a fucking surprise. The doughy “Grey’s Anatomy” cast member is the magazine’s PRIDE 2007 cover boy, marking yet another ridiculous overreach by the gay media. If you’re a celebrity, and you’re queer, you’re a hero.

Of course Knight would likely still be in the closet if not for his castmate Isaiah Washington, who was sent to rehab for calling Knight, 33 at the time, a fag. He was then “forced” to reveal his sexuality. And for that he’s labeled a role model? From what I’ve read, Knight’s homosexuality was not a recent discovery. He lived a lie so as to further his career, one that likely would not have suffered had he been open about his identity. Look at him — he’s no leading man. He is to Tom Cruise as Lance Bass is to Justin Timberlake. In other words, his career is not wholly dependent on his looks, or the fantasies of Midwestern housewives. Knight had every right to remain in the closet. But now that he’s been forced out, he shouldn’t be celebrated for his bravery or courage. Hell, coming out has been good for his career. I don’t watch “Grey’s Anatomy,” so I had no idea who TR Knight was. Now, unfortunately, I do, as he’s apparently bought into his own fawning press.

In April of 2007, nearly three months to the day after appearing on Ellen, TR Knight took the stage once again. This time, the boyishly handsome actor appeared to introduce GLAAD’s west coast media awards. Standing before the cream of the queer crop, TR Knight insisted, I am angry very angry at the inequality that we face every day. I hope I can turn my anger into action. One of those actions is me being here tonight. The 34-year old, fresh faced actor received a standing ovation.

How brave of him, to show up at the GLAAD awards. What inequality does he face, as a rich guy living in one of the most queer-friendly burghs in America? I might admire Knight if he came out on his own, without being dragged from the closet. I might admire him if he focused on real homophobia, not the Hollywood brand of self-pity. (Is, for example, David Geffen a victim?) I might admire him if he used his fame to expose real heroes, not those created by a slur and a fawning gay press. I’ve covered this territory before, in a column I wrote a few years back for the LA Times:

In truth, the gay community has only itself to blame. Could it be we’re suffering the consequences of elevating one too many lightweights to hero status, just because they’re gay and famous? And where’s the indignation over repeatedly trite media characterizations of homosexuals, as if it’s a given that we’re all theatrical and melodramatic, with a show tune in our hearts?

Hitch on Jimmy Carter

He’s not impressed:

Almost always, when former President Jimmy Carter opens his big, smug mouth, he has already made the psychological mistake that is going to reduce his words to absurdity.

Within his piece there’s a fascinating revelation about former Sen. Eugene McCarthy:

I once had quite an argument with the late Sen. Eugene McCarthy, who maintained adamantly that it had been right for him to vote for Ronald Reagan in 1980 for no other reason. “Mr. Carter,” he said, “quite simply abdicated the whole responsibility of the presidency while in office. He left the nation at the mercy of its enemies at home and abroad. He was the worst president we ever had.”

Google wants to control your life

And they’re not shy about it:

Google’s ambition to maximise the personal information it holds on users is so great that the search engine envisages a day when it can tell people what jobs to take and how they might spend their days off.

Eric Schmidt, Google’s chief executive, said gathering more personal data was a key way for Google to expand and the company believes that is the logical extension of its stated mission to organise the world’s information.

Asked how Google might look in five years’ time, Mr Schmidt said: “We are very early in the total information we have within Google. The algorithms will get better and we will get better at personalisation.

“The goal is to enable Google users to be able to ask the question such as ‘What shall I do tomorrow?’ and ‘What job shall I take?’ ”

Has privacy become a quaint, foregone notion?

Business as usual

From lobbying reforms to anti-corruption proposals to curbing earmarks, Democratic lawmakers who railed against Republican corruption a year ago have flinched from imposing the harshest standards on themselves. Consequently, this Democratic Congress may end up no better prepared to police itself than the Republicans were when the Jack Abramoff bribery scandal broke and the spate of criminal convictions it spawned surfaced as a primary reason for voters’ angst last fall.

Will the Democrats be held accountable? Don’t count on it. As far as reform goes, both the media and the public are asleep at the wheel.

Coincidence?

Becky Stein / Special

Falcons Alge Crumpler (left) and Michael Vick were among those at the Fox Theatre on Monday night to view highlights of their 2006 season

Heavy smoke
covers Atlanta

(From the AJC’s Web page Tuesday morning)

“Fox News, your voice for evil”

(Via Andrew Sullivan)

I love it when “The Simpsons” writers bite the hand that feeds.

Pride needs a facelift

So "The Advocate" informs us that TR Knight is a "hero." What a fucking surprise. The doughy "Grey’s Anatomy" cast member is the magazine’s PRIDE 2007 cover boy, marking yet another ridiculous overreach by the gay media. If you’re a celebrity, and you’re queer, you’re a hero. Of course Knight would likely still be in the closet if not for his castmate Isaiah Washington, who was sent to rehab for calling Knight, 33 at the time, a fag. He was then "forced" to reveal his sexuality. And for that he’s labeled a role model? From what I’ve read, Knight’s homosexuality was not a recent discovery. He lived a lie so as to further his career, one that likely would not have suffered had he been open about his identity. Look at him — he’s no leading man. He is to Tom Cruise as Lance Bass is to Justin Timberlake. In other words, his career is not wholly dependent on his looks, or the fantasies of Midwestern housewives. Knight had every right to remain in the closet. But now that he’s been forced out, he shouldn’t be celebrated for his bravery or courage. Hell, coming out has been good for his career. I don’t watch "Grey’s Anatomy," so I had no idea who TR Knight was. Now, unfortunately, I do, as he’s apparently bought into his own fawning press.

In April of 2007, nearly three months to the day after appearing on Ellen, TR Knight took the stage once again. This time, the boyishly handsome actor appeared to introduce GLAAD’s west coast media awards. Standing before the cream of the queer crop, TR Knight insisted, I am angry very angry at the inequality that we face every day. I hope I can turn my anger into action. One of those actions is me being here tonight. The 34-year old, fresh faced actor received a standing ovation.

How brave of him, to show up at the GLAAD awards. What inequality does he face, as a rich guy living in one of the most queer-friendly burghs in America? I might admire Knight if he came out on his own, without being dragged from the closet. I might admire him if he focused on real homophobia, not the Hollywood brand of self-pity. (Is, for example, David Geffen a victim?) I might admire him if he used his fame to expose real heroes, not those created by a slur and a fawning gay press. I’ve covered this territory before, in a column I wrote a few years back for the LA Times:

In truth, the gay community has only itself to blame. Could it be we’re suffering the consequences of elevating one too many lightweights to hero status, just because they’re gay and famous? And where’s the indignation over repeatedly trite media characterizations of homosexuals, as if it’s a given that we’re all theatrical and melodramatic, with a show tune in our hearts?

Hitch on Jimmy Carter

He’s not impressed:

Almost always, when former President Jimmy Carter opens his big, smug mouth, he has already made the psychological mistake that is going to reduce his words to absurdity.

Within his piece there’s a fascinating revelation about former Sen. Eugene McCarthy:

I once had quite an argument with the late Sen. Eugene McCarthy, who maintained adamantly that it had been right for him to vote for Ronald Reagan in 1980 for no other reason. “Mr. Carter,” he said, “quite simply abdicated the whole responsibility of the presidency while in office. He left the nation at the mercy of its enemies at home and abroad. He was the worst president we ever had.”

Coincidence?

Becky Stein / Special

Falcons Alge Crumpler (left) and Michael Vick were among those at the Fox Theatre on Monday night to view highlights of their 2006 season

Heavy smoke
covers Atlanta

(From the AJC’s Web page Tuesday morning)

“Fox News, your voice for evil”

(Via Andrew Sullivan)

I love it when "The Simpsons" writers bite the hand that feeds.

A gay man is not nothing but a sandwich

I’ve got a problem with the LGBT classification, a special interest concoction with no real meaning. Hell, lesbians and gay men can barely find common ground. But transgendered folks? I favor equality across the board, but we’re not the same, and our struggle shouldn’t be treated as such. 

(From the Malcontent archives:)

No one ever asked me, or anyone else, it seems, whether lesbians, gays and bisexuals belong under the same minority umbrella as transsexusals. But the activist class has already decided that Alexis Arquette and I share a common struggle, and it’s best not to challenge the queer politburo.

Yet I can’t resist. So let’s dissect: Arquette decided a year ago that he wanted to become a woman. I decided, about 12 years ago, that I never wanted to sleep with a woman again. Just because we both may be despised or misunderstood (and frankly, I don’t understand the inclination to chop off one’s penis, but it’s not my place to say he can’t, or shouldn’t), does that make us brothers? Or brother and sister? Or … see, it’s confusing.

Stephen H. Miller agrees:

How many times can you find the complete phrase “lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender” in this short mission statement? Even worthy activism is made to sound like merely a politically correct exercise by this sort of ritualism.

Worse, the LGBT mantra assumes that important issues of identity and strategy have been resolved in favor of some mythic “LGBT community.” This side steps a number of still highly debatable matters, such as whether bisexuals face discrimination only when they are perceived as gay-acting. And while transgendered individuals certainly endure prejudice and oppression, the issues confronted by those who range from heterosexual cross-dressers to post-op folks now legally the opposite gender of their birth (and thus who, for instance, can gender-appropriately marry) may be so different from the issues that confront gay people that assuming LGBT singleness becomes stunningly inappropriate.

But if you listen to mainstream LGBT organizational voices, those questions are settled and the matter closed.

Hugo’s stooge

To be fair, Danny Glover must be desperate. His recent movies include “The Shaggy Dog,” “The Cookout” and “Saw.” So why not film a little propaganda on behalf of his BFF, Hugo Chavez?

Venezuela is to give the American actor Danny Glover almost $18m (£9m) to make a film about a slave uprising in Haiti, with President Hugo Chávez hoping the historical epic will sprinkle Hollywood stardust on his effort to mobilise world public opinion against imperialism and western oppression. …

Along with the singer Harry Belafonte, Glover is the best known celebrity supporter of Mr Chávez, whom he considers “remarkable”. He is a regular visitor to Venezuela.

I wonder what Glover has to say about Chavez’s deplorable human rights record? Then again, who gives a fuck what the star of “Operation Dumbo Drop” thinks?

Return to form

Good news from Cannes — sounds like the Coen Brothers have rebounded with their latest flick, “No Country for Old Men,” based on a Cormac McCarthy novel.

“No Country for Old Men” premiered here on Friday night to standing ovations and much cheering. The Miramax/Paramount Vantage release quickly became a hot topic everywhere.

Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem, “No Country” is a meditation on violence that harkens back to the Coens’ best work in “Fargo” and “Blood Simple.”

I’m relieved; their last two movies, “Intolerable Cruelty” and “The Ladykillers,” were duds. Still, their resume is virtually without peer among active filmmakers.