SkewzCast

Skewz Podcast #48: A Conversation About the Emergence of the Blogosphere with Joseph Farah

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 06:08:03 -0700

Skewz Podcast #48: A Conversation About the Emergence of the Blogosphere with Joseph Farah

Joseph Farah thought about the concept of "electronic newspapers" all through the 1990s as he saw demographics in the US changes. Mr. Farrah astutely observed that people were rushing at an accelerating rate into the suburbs and that the distribution model that city newspapers relied on was going to crumble under a weighty cost structure.

In 1997 Mr. Farah and his wife launched WorldNetDaily.com. WorldNetDaily.com is a conservative leaning site that covers news that may not be typically covered by the traditional media. Perspectives taken on WorldNetDaily.com often are not found other places. It was extremely interesting to speak to someone who has seen the evolution of the Internet and the blogosphere from virtually the beginning.

We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did. More on Joseph Farah: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Farah

If you liked the show, recommend it to your friends.

You can check out the pioneering site at: WorldNetDaily.com

Your host: Vipul Vyas

And remember...to get all sides of the story, visit SKEWZ.com Follow us on Twitter.com/SKEWZ to get live updates of show releases

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Check us out as always at: www.skewz.com

Skewz Podcast #47: A Pictures Is Worth A Thousand Words with Michael Shaw

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:48:44 -0700

Skewz Podcast #47: A Pictures Is Worth A Thousand Words with Michael Shaw

We recently spoke with Michael Shaw. He's one of the most interesting people we've chatted with. His angle is old yet new. Pictures have been part of telling the story of current events even before camera's were around (remember the famous image of the Boston Massacre...need help, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Massacre).

Pictures have been used to help convey emotion, emotive context, and much more when it comes to the news. Yet, just like sound tracks in movies and TV shows they seem to fade into the background without us always realizing they are there. Michael insightfully reframes our conversations and reminds of the impact these pictures have on our own contextualization of stories. How people are portrayed really sets the stage for how we're going to perceive a news story. Our conversation with Michael was one of the more interesting we've had in quite a while, and we've saved it for a slower news day so that it doesn't get drowned out by the news cycle.

We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.

More on Michael Shaw: http://bagnewsnotes.typepad.com/bagnews/2004/01/_about_me_.html

Winner of the Gilliard Grant of Merit for Excellence in Journalism and News Blogging awarded at NetrootsNation '08; credentialed 2008 DemocraticConvention blog; and producer of the The Huffington Post blog feature "Reading The Pictures," BAGnewsNotes has established a niche in the progressive blogosphere through the expert analysis of news images.

If you liked the show, recommend it to your friends.

You can check out Michael's blog at: http://www.bagnewsnotes.com/

Your host: Vipul Vyas

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com Or you can drop us a voicemail at 646-495-9203 extension 62526. If you don't have time to download the podcast and would like to listen to it over the phone (and if you have an unlimited plan or plenty of minutes to burn) you can dial 712-318-9952 (not a toll-free number) to listen in. And remember...to get all sides of the story, visit SKEWZ.com

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Check us out as always at: www.skewz.com

Skewz Podcast #46: Talking to Jason Rosenbaum of The Seminal

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 12:53:11 -0700

Skewz Podcast #46: Talking to Jason Rosenbaum of The Seminal

We recently spoke with Jason Rosenbaum of The Seminal (theseminal.com). The Seminal started out as a music site and slowly morphed into a political blog among other things. That transition is an interesting story in and of itself. You can learn a bit more about Jason by reading his bio . In our conversation we discussed the post-mortem on the stimulus bill a couple of weeks back, but now the bill seems to be getting drowned out by all of the negative economic news. The partisan lines now are arguing that the stimulus package may not be big enough or there's not any point in doing it because it will have no impact. Nouriel Roubini who saw the crash coming way back in 2005 is in Jason's corner arguing that more stimulus may be needed. Dr. Doom and Jason are aligned in thinking that the stimulus is critical in bolstering aggregate demand in and environment where consumer and business confidence is essentially shattered. Jason discusses his support of the stimulus package and for the Obama administration in general. In our discussion we looked at how the stimulus package wound its way through the corridors of Congress and some of the shortcomings of the package from a progressive point of view. We also discuss why the GOP showed no support in the house and almost no support in the Senate. Our discussion was an in depth look at how the stimulus package was finally passed and how some of the hurdles were overcome. Jason also points out lessons that the administration can learn for future legislative efforts. It was a fun conversation, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Remember:

If you liked the show, recommend it to your friends.

You can check out Jason's blog at: http://www.theseminal.com

Your host: Vipul Vyas

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com

Or you can drop us a voicemail at 646-495-9203 extension 62526.

If you don't have time to download the podcast and would like to listen to it over the phone (and if you have an unlimited plan or plenty of minutes to burn) you can dial 712-318-9952 (not a toll-free number) to listen in.

And remember...to get all sides of the story, visit SKEWZ.com Follow us on Twitter.com/SKEWZ to get live updates of show releases

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www.skewz.com

Skewz Podcast #45: A Stimulating Conversation with Amanda Marcotte

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 00:16:04 -0800

Skewz Podcast #45: A Stimulating Conversation with Amanda Marcotte

We talked about the stimulus plan with Amanda Marcotte of Pandagon.net. Amanda, as many may know, was the blogmaster for the John Edwards campaign so our conversation naturally also drifted to understanding how the media and the blogosphere were covering the stimulus package debate. Amanda represents a progressive perspective of the stimulus debate. It's clear that Amanda loves her role of keeping the right in its place. She spends time understanding the "conservative mind" and refuting what she perceives are some of the right's more absurd arguments. The stimulus debate has brought out a lot of references to the history of the past 8 years. 3 weeks into the Obama administration, we're doing a lot of looking back; and Amanda is finding a lot of hypocrisy on the right.

Amanda focuses on Feminism as a topic in the political debate and has written a book (just last year) called It's A Jungle Out There: The Feminist Survival Guide to Politically Inhospitable Environments. Check it out.

You can check out Amanda's blog at: pandagon.net

Your host: Vipul Vyas

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com
Or you can drop us a voicemail at 646-495-9203 extension 62526.

If you don't have time to download the podcast and would like to listen to it over the phone (and if you have an unlimited plan or plenty of minutes to burn) you can dial 712-318-9952 (not a toll-free number) to listen in.

And remember...to get all sides of the story, visit SKEWZ.com

Follow us on Twitter.com/SKEWZ to get live updates of show releases

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Skewz Podcast #44: On the Trail of Somali Pirates with David Axe

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 23:07:10 -0800

Skewz Podcast #44: On the Trail of Somali Pirates with David Axe

We had yet another amazing conversation with David Axe whose blog at warisboring.com recounts his experiences in some of the most dangerous places in the world. David's mantra is that he "goes to war so you don't have to." Thank God he's brave enough to do it because the insights David regularly imparts are so much deeper than you hear in the press which often has only a cursory/transitory interest in many of these subjects.

David spoke to us extensively about how Somali pirates have evolved to become a credible threat to high seas commerce off the Horn of Africa. These pirates are especially harmful to the economic interests of Kenya which is one of the more progressive states in the region. Trade with Kenya has been significantly impacted as has trade with many other countries in the region.

David highlighted the fact that the Bush administration unwittingly assisted in the expansion of pirate activity several years ago. The Islamic courts emerged in Somalia with some popular support to provide security and stability in the war torn country. Their appeal was similar to the Taliban's more than a decade ago. Once in power, the Bush administration assumed the Islamic courts had a substantial relationship with Al Qaeda. It was later determined that this was not the case. But before that intelligence could sink in, the Bush administration supported landlocked Ethiopia's take over of Somalia. Ethiopia got access to ports, and Washington removed a perceived problem.

However, the law of unintended consequences ruled he day. The Islamic courts fell, the Ethiopians got locked into an Iraq style occupation which led them to finally retreat, and the one check on the pirates (the courts) disappeared. The Islamic courts were not fans of the pirates and worked to dismantle the pirate network. With that adversary gone, the pirates flourished.

We get a lot of sporadic stories of high seas chases and scenes of high seas naval face offs from the traditional press, but we don't get a lot of context. That's what David provides so well.

You can check out David's blog at: warisboring.com
Your host: Vipul Vyas
Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com
Or you can drop us a voicemail at 646-495-9203 extension 62526. If you don't have time to download the podcast and would like to listen to it over the phone (and if you have an unlimited plan or plenty of minutes to burn) you can dial 712-318-9952 (not a toll-free number) to listen in. And remember...to get all sides of the story, visit SKEWZ.com Follow us on Twitter.com/SKEWZ to get live updates of show releases Theme music by 2012

Skewz Podcast #43: Talking About The Stimulus Package with Patrick Ishmael

Sun, 08 Feb 2009 21:31:15 -0800

Skewz Podcast #43: Talking About The Stimulus Package with Patrick Ishmael

We spoke on to Patrick Ishmael on his views regarding the pending stimulus bill. Patrick provides reasonable arguments for why the stimulus package isn't where it should be. Patrick is a commentator who adeptly represents the thoughts of suburban conservatives. He has specific issues with pork found in the bill as it stands. Patrick is an insightful commentator, and we believe you are sure to come away with new insights based on listening to his thoughts.

You can check out Patrick's blog at: http://blog.patrickishmael.com/

and http://repurblican.com

Your host: Vipul Vyas

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com

Or you can drop us a voicemail at 646-495-9203 extension 62526.

And remember...to get all sides of the story, visit SKEWZ.com

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Skewz Podcast #42: Talking About The Stimulus Package with Matthew Yglesias

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 23:43:31 -0800

Skewz Podcast #42: Talking About The Stimulus Package with Matthew Yglesias

We spoke on to Matthew Yglesias on his views regarding the pending stimulus bill. Matthew gives a convincing outline for why the stimulus bill should be passed. He reviews the basic Keynsian philosophy behind the package and why the specific spending choices were made. Matthew is an insightful commentator, and we believe you are sure to come away with new insights based on listening to his thoughts.

You can check out Matthew's blog at: http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/

Your host: Vipul Vyas

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com

Or you can drop us a voicemail at 646-495-9203 extension 62526.

And remember...to get all sides of the story, visit SKEWZ.com

Daily Skewz Podcast for January 27, 2009

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 09:38:06 -0800

Daily Skewz Podcast for January 22, 2009

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 09:21:56 -0800

Skewz Podcast #41: Politics and Technology- A Conversation with Robert Bluey of the Heritage Foundation

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 23:48:18 -0800

Skewz Podcast #41: Politics and Technology- A Conversation with Robert Bluey of the Heritage Foundation

I recently spoke to Robert Bluey of the Heritage Foundation. Robert is head of online services for the prestigious conservative think tank. Robert has noted that right now the GOP is looking a bit enviously upon the online outreach machine that Barack Obama has put together. But, adversity is the often the root of transformation. It wasn't long ago when Democrats were green with envy of Karl Rove's impressive micro-segmentation database that sliced and diced the electorate up...all the way down to the type of salad dressing each voting bank preferred.

Contrary to popular belief, the GOP actually had a better message machine in the 2008 election...at least from this bloggers perspective. The much heralded "Republican Noise Machine" performed admirably. That noise machine primarily consisted of quick dispatch and dissemination of talking points from the campaing into the loyal right wing blogosphere. The left was never quite so coordinated in a "real-time" way. Left wing bloggers would often complain to me about access and messaging to the Obama campaign or the DNC. I often heard that those liberal bloggers who signed up with the McCain campaign to check out how the compeitition was moving were inundated with McCain email memos throughout the day with messaging guidance and backup information, citations, and loads of supporting data and andecdotes. It made writing about subjects with one voice almost unavoidably easy. The Obama campaign was never quite on top of this like the McCain campaign and it showed. People may forget, but it seemed like the McCain campaign was always throwing little curves and controlling the tempo of the conversation through much of the summer of 2008. That was the much revered messaging machine at play.

What the Obama campaign got right was create more of a movement versus a traditional marketing machine through online technologies. Ultimately, both are marketing machines. In a bizarre irony, Obama did what the GOP has always wanted to do...disintermediate the media (get rid of the press middle man). The Bush administration had always focused on ignoring the traditional media or at least the media that they didn't feel was aligned with them or would give them what they perceived would be a fair shake...and, a dominant meme on the right has always been "liberal media bias." For the right, the press they ignored was the "traditional liberal media of print and TV news" and instead focused on getting their message out through the blogosphere (the new media outlet of choice) and radio. News in the blogosphere would slowly perculate up to the more traditional news outlets and the GOP message would come through. That was essentially the strategy. But, this approach was still traditional broadcast or mass marketing. Karl Rove's micro-segmentation approaches were still being used by the GOP, but the direct contact was limited to traditional touches. It was used to figure out what was important to these people and play to those values and needs using direct mail.

The Obama campaign took the micro-segmentation approach to a new level. Social networking technologies such as Facebook and more personal text messaging communication were used to create a one-on-one relationship with individual voters...and, it was put in the context of a 2-way conversation as opposed ot a 1-way (hears what you need to know) conversation. People could interact in places like Facebook and self-affirm their views. This more intimate contact was followed with an incredibly high touch campaing of house meeting organization where people could follow-up virtual world contact with real-world contact. This is where much maligned Chicago-style community organzing really came into play. The emotional need of feeling like you are really part of something bigger than yourself which is one emotional need a campaign often fulfills was better met through personal communication and ease of personal inolvement that technology enabled. Frictionaless involvement is what you got. Ultimately, the blogs which were the first evolution of media disintermediation themselves got a bit disintermediated. You got a level of even greater fragmentation with people not just going from the few large media outlets to the many thousands of blogs but down to the more granual level of millions of voices speaking to one another. I

n the post election environment, the Obama campaign is wisely not abandoning its impressive technology and people infrastructure. Big problems often require big solutions...and we are clearly living in an age of big problems. Those big solutions often are going to piss someone off. As such, maintain broad popular support will be critical. The campaign infrastructure will be critical in providing the political capital to push through many desired initiatives. The next big challenge for the Democrats will be to try to use this infrastructure to bring in GOP recruit in the context of bipartisan problem solving. Being open to opposing ideas and issue-focused would possibly make this infrastructure more appealing to become a part of for some moderate Republicans. That tone will be set from the top. In the meantime, the GOP will be sure to learn the same tricks of the trade and come armed with a better grass roots campaign in 2010 and 2012.

You can check out Robert's blog at: http://robertbluey.com/blog/

...and you can also follow Robert on twitter! Your host: Vipul Vyas
Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com Or you can drop us a voicemail at 646-495-9203 extension 62526.

If you don't have time to download the podcast and would like to listen to it over the phone (and if you have an unlimited plan or plenty of minutes to burn) you can dial 712-318-9952 (not a toll-free number) to listen in.

And remember...to get all sides of the story, visit SKEWZ.com Follow us on Twitter.com/SKEWZ to get live updates of show releases

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Daily Skewz Podcast January 16, 2009

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 09:18:28 -0800

Daily Skewz Podcast for January 15, 2009

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 08:54:05 -0800

Daily Skewzcast for December 17, 2008

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:06:46 -0800

Skewz Podcast #40: National Security, 2 Wars, and What To Do About Pakistan - with Spencer Ackerman

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 23:32:03 -0800

Skewz Podcast #40: National Security, 2 Wars, and What To Do About Pakistan - with Spencer Ackerman

We spoke on December 3rd to Spencer Ackerman who is an accomplished journalist who blogs at firedoglake.com along with his own blog http://toohotfortnr.blogspot.com/. Spencer has been to both Afghanistan and Iraq several times and provides an on-the-ground perspective as to what is working and what is not in both war zones. In our conversation we discuss how foreign policy and national security priorities might shift in an Obama adminstration relative to what we've seen for the better part of the last decade under President Bush. In our conversation we also touch upon US foreign policy towards Pakistan and what steps may make sense for the US to pursue. Again, we had a wide ranging discussion on foreign policy which is an incredibly timely topic given recent events.

We hope you enjoy the conversation with Spencer as much as I did.

You can check out Doug's blog at: http://toohotfortnr.blogspot.com/

Your host: Vipul Vyas

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com

Or you can drop us a voicemail at 646-495-9203 extension 62526.

If you don't have time to download the podcast and would like to listen to it over the phone (and if you have an unlimited plan or plenty of minutes to burn) you can dial 712-318-9952 (not a toll-free number) to listen in.

And remember...to get all sides of the story, visit SKEWZ.com

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Daily Skewz Notes for 12/3/08

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 21:27:53 -0800

Daily Skewz Notes for 12/3/08

Skewz Podcast #39: Foreign Policy Under Obama - A Discussion with Steve Clemons of TheWashingtonNote.com

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:23:33 -0800

Skewz Podcast #39: Foreign Policy Under Obama - A Discussion with Steve Clemons of TheWashingtonNote.com

We had the pleasure of speaking with Steve Clemons of thewashingtonnote.com. As many may already know, thewashingtonnote.com is very popular blog that looks at complex domestic and foreign policy issues from a progressive yet practical perspective. Steve has many accomplishments and has access to some of the most influential policy makers in DC. As such he is a wealth of insight in terms of both what are thought leaders thinking AND in terms of what concepts and innovative policy thinking has the most currency. In our interview, we specifically focused on how Obama's foreign policy may be consistent with or part ways with past adminstrations. We also touched on the topic of Pakistan and how US policy towards South Asia may change in the wake of the Mumbai attacks.

We hope you enjoy the conversation with Steve as much as I did.

You can check out Doug's blog at: thewashingtonnote.com

Your host: Vipul Vyas

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com

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Daily Skewz Notes for 12/1/08

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:50:21 -0800

Daily Skewz Notes for 12/1/08

Skewz Podcast #38: Getting A Conservative Perspective From Doug Ross

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 23:36:22 -0800

Skewz Podcast #38: Getting A Conservative Perspective From Doug Ross

We had the pleasure of sitting down with Doug Ross and discussing some of his interests. Doug is a pretty insightful guy with a wide range of interests. We discussed media bias, the election, and a range of issues during our conversation. Doug's blog at http://directorblue.blogspot.com/ definitely gives the liberal side of the aisle "the business." He takes a pretty detailed view at what the campaigns are saying and more interestingly sometimes what they are not saying as well. Sprinkled in the midst of that Doug's political commentary, you'll also see a lot of discussion regarding wide ranging topics from cars to technology.

We hope you enjoy the conversation with Doug as much as we did.

You can check out Doug's blog at: directblue.blogspot.com

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com

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Skewz Podcast #37: Leaning Something About Education From Joanne Jacobs

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:53:30 -0800

Skewz Podcast #37: Leaning Something About Education From Joanne Jacobs

Joanne was a veteran reporter with the esteemed San Jose Mercury News. After leaving her journalism career, Joanne began to more deeply explore a subject she periodically covered as a journalist. That subject was education. Joanne has looked at the imperative to improve the country's education system from a variety of angles. With her wealth of research, exposure, and insight; she was able to walk us through the good, the bad, and the ugly of the current state of the educational system. We also, fortunately, learned a bit about what we can do to improve the state of affairs with the country's educational system.

We hope you enjoy the conversation with Joanne as much as we did.

You can check out Joanne's blog at: joannejacobs.com

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com

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Daily Skewz Notes for 11/18/08

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 07:06:44 -0800

Daily Skewz Notes for 11/18/08

Skewz Podcast #36: Sound-Off- Mike Finnigan of Crooks and Liars and Warner Todd Huston of NewsBusters Talk About Media Bias in the 2008 Election

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 18:17:31 -0800

Skewz Podcast #36: Sound-Off- Mike Finnigan of Crooks and Liars and Warner Todd Huston of NewsBusters Talk About Media Bias in the 2008 Election

We had a blast speaking to Mike Finnigan of Crooksandliars.com and Warner Todd Huston of Newsbusters.org. We discussed how the media may have played a role, if any, in the 2008 election. Mike was in rare form and Warner and I had a good time keeping up with him. Of course, Warner felt the treatment of Palin was especially abusive. Mike, as you might have guessed, didn't entirely agree. Listen in and decide what you think.

We hope you enjoy the conversation with Mike and Warner as much as we did.

You can check out Mike's work at crooksandliars.com; you can check out Warner's work at Newsbusters.org

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com

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Daily Skewz Notes for 11/17/08

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:27:22 -0800

Daily Skewz Notes for 11/17/08

Skewz Podcast #35: Talking to Mike at Zonitics Regarding Left-Wing Media Bias

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 21:22:55 -0800

Skewz Podcast #35: Talking to Mike at Zonitics Regarding Left-Wing Media Bias

We spoke to Mike over at Zonitics regarding left-wing bias at the national level and when it comes to Arizona politics specifically. We also discussed the election, global challenges to the US, Iraq, Iran, and China…as you can tell, it was a pretty wide ranging discussion. Mike pointed to an interesting an emerging trend around blogging at a more local level and with regard to more local and regional issues. As the national level blogosphere gets crowded with the much anticipated 2008 presidential election, many folks are starting to focus more on their local communities where they hope to have a greater impact. Mike is one of those folks.

We hope you enjoy the conversation with Mike as much as we did.

You can check out Mike's blog at: zonitics.blogspot.com

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com

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Skewz Podcast #34: Catching Up With David Axe Before He Heads Off To Somalia

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 23:46:02 -0800

Skewz Podcast #34: Catching Up With David Axe Before He Heads Off To Somalia

David Axe, our intrepid freelance war reporter, is off to Somalia to better understand the emergence of piracy off the Horn of Africa. David has been on previous podcasts and has an impressive body of knowledge based on real world experience in some of the world's most war ravaged locations. This is David's second trip to Somalia, and we catch up with him just before he left for the Dark Continent. On this podcast we discuss the emergence of piracy off the coast of Africa and how this location has now surpassed piracy around the waters of Southeast Asia. Given that David has also spent time in Iraq and Afghanistan as a war reporter, we touched on these two conflicts as well. We discussed the seeming conclusion of the Iraqi civil war and new approaches being contemplated in Afghanistan.

We hope you enjoy the conversation with David as much as we did.

You can check out David's blog at the aptly named: warisboring.com site

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com

Or you can drop us a voicemail at 646-495-9203 extension 62526.

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Skewz Podcast #33: Skewz SoundOff - Debating California Proposition 8 - Banning Gay Marriage

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:18:15 -0800

Skewz Podcast #33: Skewz SoundOff - Debating California Proposition 8 - Banning Gay Marriage

We had a lively discussion today regarding the merits and issues with California Proposition 8 which if passed would define marriage as explicitly between a man and a woman in the California state constitution. The constitutional amendment would effectively over turn a ruling earlier this year by the California Supreme Court which protected Gay marriage under an interpretation of the Equal Protection Clause of the state constitution. As such, this amendment is getting a lot of attention in a state where the winner of the state's electoral votes is a given - Democrat Barrack Obama. Latinos and African Americans will likely come to the polls in great numbers. This should bode well for Barack Obama based on recent polling. However, it's unclear what the implications for Proposition 8 will be as many Latinos and African Americans have historically supported a ban on gay marriage.

To discuss proposition 8 we had to insightful guests. Supporting the proposition we had Craig DeLuz of RedCounty.com and in opposition to the proposition we had Bob Brigham from Calitrics.com. Both provided great and new perspectives on what define the debate for and against this proposition.

We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.

You can get more information on California Proposition 8 and the California Constitution in general at the following sites:

Proposition 8: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposition_8

California Constitution: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Constitution

The sites that Craig and Bob write for are Redcounty.com (from the right) and Calitrics.com (from the left).

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com

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Skewz Podcast #32: Talking to MARLOWE About The Candidates Health Care Plans

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 23:17:43 -0800

Skewz Podcast #32: Talking to MARLOWE About The Candidates Health Care Plans

As the election draws to a close, understanding the issues is important for any voter making a serious decision. In this podcast we speak to one of our long time users and contributers Marlowe. You can see Skewz filled with his many submissions and insightful comments. Marlowe has expertise in the health care space and has many years of industry experience to guide a discussion about the 2 candidates fans. As we draw to the last days of this election, the debate over the economy and health care are increasingly important. Undecideds and those who are not fully committed to a specific candidate will likely find this podcast instructive. Marlowe is an advocate of McCain health care plan over that of Obama. Conservative principles guide Marlowe's perspective along with a wealth of industry knowledge.

We hope you enjoy the conversation with Marlowe as much as we did.

Again, you can check out his posts and submission on Skewz. Marlowe's profile page can be found at: http://www.skewz.com/user/profile/Marlowe

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com

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Skewz Podcast #31: Talking to Vik Rubenfeld of BigPicWeblog.com About The Argument Against Obama

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 14:40:08 -0700

Skewz Podcast #31: Talking to Vik Rubenfeld of BigPicWeblog.com About The Argument Against Obama

We had a good conversation with Vik Rubenfeld of BigPicWeblog.com. Vik has been blogging now for a number of years and did a variety of pioneering work with Pajamas Media which is a conservative consortium of blogs and news sites. Vik discussed media bias and the evolution of the the conservative blogosphere. Given Vik has been working in the domain for some time now, he had a lot of interesting insights as to how the medium has evolved. In addition, Vik discussed the various reasons voters should really think twice before voting for Senator Obama. The dicussion was lively and we learned more about the Obama-Odinga connection which has not been substantially covered in the media.

We hope you enjoy the conversation with Vik as much as we did.

Again, you can check out his blog at: bigpicweblog.com

Vik also provided us with substantial support material for the Obama-Odinga discussion. Here is some of his additional commentary and web links:

Obama and Raila Odinga

Add to that list the Marxist Raila Odinga, leader of the socialist "Orange Democratic Movement" of Kenya, and former candidate for President of Kenya - on whose behalf Obama personally campaigned in 2006 .

This was not Mr. Odinga's first brush with notoriety. Like his father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, the main opposition leader in the 1960s and 1970s, Raila Odinga is a Marxist. He graduated from East Germany's Magdeburg University in 1970 on a scholarship provided by the East German government. He named his oldest son after Fidel Castro.

Raila Odinga was implicated in the bloody coup attempt in 1982 against then-President Daniel Arap Moi, a close ally of the United States. Kenya has been one of the most stable democracies in Africa since the 1960s. The ethnic cleansing earlier this year was the worst violence in Kenya since that 1982 coup attempt.

Mr. Odinga spent eight years in prison. At the time, he denied guilt but later detailed he was a coup leader in his 2006 biography. Statue of limitations precluded further prosecution when the biography appeared.

Initially, Mr. Odinga was not the favored opposition candidate to stand in the 2007 election against President Mwai Kibaki, who was seeking his second term. However, he received a tremendous boost when Sen. Barack Obama arrived in Kenya in August 2006 to campaign on his behalf . Mr. Obama denies that supporting Mr. Odinga was the intention of his trip, but his actions and local media reports tell otherwise.

Mr. Odinga and Mr. Obama were nearly inseparable throughout Mr. Obama's six-day stay. The two traveled together throughout Kenya and Mr. Obama spoke on behalf of Mr. Odinga at numerous rallies. In contrast, Mr. Obama had only criticism for Kibaki. He lashed out against the Kenyan government shortly after meeting with the president on Aug. 25. "The [Kenyan] people have to suffer over corruption perpetrated by government officials," Mr. Obama announced.

"Kenyans are now yearning for change," he declared.

There it is again: Obama says "change" and he means change to a leader who supports Marxism. Obama supported Odinga, the self-admitted leader of a bloody coup.

By the way, Odinga leads a party that is guilty of mass-murder - just in case you're interested in that little detail of a man Obama supported politically. That's the kind of change Obama supports in Africa. After losing the election, Odinga called for demonstrations. Mass murders followed:

About 50 parishioners were locked into the Assemblies of God church before it was set ablaze. They were mostly women and children. Those who tried to flee were hacked to death by machete-wielding members of a mob numbering 2,000.

The 2008 New Year Day atrocity in the Kenyan village Eldoret, about 185 miles northwest of Nairobi, had all the markings of the Rwanda genocide of a decade earlier.

By mid-February 2008, more than 1,500 Kenyans were killed. Many were slain by machete-armed attackers. More than 500,000 were displaced by the religious strife. Villages lay in ruin. Many of the atrocities were perpetrated by Muslims against Christians.

The violence was led by supporters of Raila Odinga, the opposition leader who lost the Dec. 27, 2007, presidential election by more than 230,000 votes. Odinga supporters began the genocide hours after the final election results were announced Dec. 30. Mr. Odinga was a member of Parliament representing an area in western Kenya, heavily populated by the Luo tribe, and the birthplace of Barack Obama's father.

While this was going on, Odinga said, "I think they are ready to come to the table. Our people will continue to protest." ( See this link to a Canada Free Press article with video - see 2:56 in the video).

Odinga "became popular with the country's poor, by pledging to distribute the wealth more evenly." (3.:40 in the video). (That should remind you of Obama.)

"Odinga vowed to end Kenya's cooperation with the United States in the War on Terror." (5:31 in the video). Remember - Obama campaigned for this guy.

Video of Obama campaigning beside Odinga, on behalf of Odinga, starts at 6:38 in the video.

American Liberals: given that Obama campaigned on behalf of Odinga - a Marxist, a murderer as the leader of the bloody coup attempt, and a leader of genocide - is it possible that Obama has the same values that you have; has the same goals for America that you have; is it possible that you can vote for such a man?

Vik has researched this discussion topic extensively as you can note from the previous comments.

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com

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Skewz Podcast #30: New interview with Brad from Bradblog.com

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 22:17:10 -0700

Skewz Podcast #30: New interview with Brad from Bradblog.com

Discussing election fraud, voter fraud and the Acorn scandal

Site metioned http://videothevote.org/

Check out our previous interview with brad. Also full of great information the US elections.

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.comOr you can drop us a voicemail at 646-495-9203 extension 62526. If you don't have time to download the podcast and would like to listen to it over the phone (and if you have an unlimited plan or plenty of minutes to burn) you can dial 712-318-9952 (not a toll-free number) to listen in. And remember...to get all sides of the story, visit SKEWZ.comFollow us on Twitter.com/SKEWZ to get live updates of show releasesTheme music by 2012

Skewz Podcast #29: Learning About What's Really Happening Inside Iraq from Omar

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 19:29:06 -0700

Skewz Podcast #29: Learning About What's Really Happening Inside Iraq from Omar

Just as with our last podcast, it's not easy to find out what's really happening in some situations. The Iraq war is a difficult to cover conflict so it's great to get a perspective from an Iraq who lived in Baghdad during the invasion and for sometime after the invasion for a perspective on the Iraq war and current ground level conditions. Omar provided us with just that rare to find insight.

We hope you enjoy the conversation with Omar as much as we did.

Again, you can check out his blogs at: iraqthemodel.blogspot.com

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com

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Skewz Podcast #28: Learning About the Israeli-Arab Conflict from Omri Ceren of MereRhetoric.com

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 17:38:48 -0700

Skewz Podcast #28: Learning About the Israeli-Arab Conflict from Omri Ceren of MereRhetoric.com

For some subjects we have to rely on our US-based media outlets for information. The Israel-Arab conflict is one of those issues. Omri Ceren provides us an Israeli perspective on that conflict as well as the regions other destabilizing force- Iran. Omri provides us with an insightful discussion and fresh perspective that is not so easy to obtain from within the United States.

We hope you enjoy the conversation with Omri as much as we did.

Again, you can check out his blogs at: mererhetoric.com

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com

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Skewz Podcast #27: Talking to Marc Danziger About The Liberal Perspective

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 23:36:04 -0700

Skewz Podcast #27: Talking to Marc Danziger About The Liberal Perspective

We had a particularly insightful conversation with Marc Danziger of windsofchange.net and armedliberal.com . Marc had well informed perspectives on a range of domestic policies issues and was clearly someone who was not simply dogmatic in his viewpoints. His comments were extremely measured and based on considered thinking versus just talking points.

We hope you enjoy the conversation with Marc as much as we did.

Again, you can check out his blogs at: windsofchange.net and armedliberal.com

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com

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Skewz Podcast #26: Talking to Dan Riehl About The Conservative Perspective

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 19:52:14 -0700

Skewz Podcast #26: Talking to Dan Riehl About The Conservative Perspective

We had a fun conversation with Dan Riehl of riehlworldview.com . Dan has been blogging for sometime now and we discussed the current election along with conservative politics in general. Dan has a lot of well thought through and insightful perspectives on a range of topics.

We hope you enjoy the conversation with Dan as much as we did.

Again, you can check out his blog at: riehlworldview.com

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com

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Skewz Podcast #25: Talking About the Nanny-State And Media Bias with Darleen Click of Protein Wisdom

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 11:54:25 -0700

Skewz Podcast #25: Talking About the Nanny-State And Media Bias with Darleen Click of Protein Wisdom

We had a great conversation with Darleen Click of Protein Wisdom. Darlene provided insights from a libertarian to right-leaning perspective on a range of topics including politics at the local level. We also learned a bit about the Protein Wisdom blog which unlike many sites doesn't look to push people from different political perspectives away. The site is fairly inclusive and full of insightful thinking that is not overly dogmatics. Darleen was an absolute pleasure to speak to.

We hope you enjoy the conversation with Darlene as much as we did.

Again, you can check out her blog at: proteinwisdom.com

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com

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Skewz Podcast #24: Understanding Liberal Media Bias with John Hawkins of RightWingNews.com

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:40:25 -0700

Skewz Podcast #24: Understanding Liberal Media Bias with John Hawkins of RightWingNews.com

We had a great conversation with John Hawkins of RightWingNews.com. John had some great perspectives on the nature of media bias – especially left-wing media bias. We also discussed the upcoming election and how the blogosphere was playing a significant role in determining the topics that were being discussed in the election news cycle.

We hope you enjoy the conversation with John as much as we did.

Again, you can check out his blog at: rightwingnews.com

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com

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Skewz Podcast #23: Understanding The Virtues of Conservatism with William Katz of Urgent Agenda

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:13:38 -0700

Skewz Podcast #23: Understanding The Virtues of Conservatism with William Katz of Urgent Agenda

We had an insightful conversation with William Katz of urgentagenda.com. Bill has had such a rich and varied set of experiences that's amazing he's done it all in one life time. He's worked for the CIA, written for the Bob Newhart show, been an interviewer for the Tonight Show, and published 10 books among just a few of his accomplishments. On top of that, he's attended some of the best universities in the land. William spoke to us about his thoughts on the modern conservative movement and his own movement from the Democratic to Republican party over the years. Bill has some particular expertise with regard to foreign policy issues given his work with the Central Intelligence Agency. As such, we had an amazingly broad discussion about politics. We recorded this podcast just prior to Barack Obama picking his vice presidential running mate Joe Biden. We wished we had gotten this podcast out a little sooner, but the discussion was so wide ranging given Bill's ability to speak on almost any topic that his points are as true 10 days later as they were just prior to the Democratic convention.

We hope you enjoy the conversation with Bill as much as we did.

Again, you can check out his blog at: urgentagenda.com

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com

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Skewz Podcast #22: Getting Behind the Headlines in Iraq and Afghanistan with David Axe of Warisboring.com

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:35:52 -0700

Skewz Podcast #22: Getting Behind the Headlines in Iraq and Afghanistan with David Axe of Warisboring.com

We had an insightful conversation with David Axe of warisboring.com. David is a freelance journalist that blogs and writes also for WIRED magazine and focuses on coverage of war zones. His mantra is that "David Axe goes to war so you don't have to." We certainly appreciate his efforts to get into the details of what is actually going on in complex war zones. David is currently focused on the conflicts raging in Africa but spent time talking to us about his experiences in Iraq and his observations about Afghanistan. David provides some incredibly interesting perspectives on what is happening in with the surge in Iraq. He also shares some very interesting prescriptions for how to deal with the new troubles emerging in Afghanistan.

We hope you enjoy the conversation with David as much as we did.

Again, you can check out his blog at: warisboring.com

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com

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Skewz Podcast #21: William Kern Talks to Skewz About Global Perceptions of the United States

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:44:22 -0700

Skewz Podcast #21: William Kern Talks to Skewz About Global Perceptions of the United States

William Kern has embarked on an impressive project at Worldmeets.us. The site employs translators from around the world to take articles in the foreign press about the United States and translate them for US domestic consumption. The site provides insights into how the US is perceived throughout various parts of the world. These perceptions are much more nuanced than people may think. William hopes to create a platform for international communication and idea exchange through Worldmeets.us. He's been working on the site for several years and is starting to get momentum. The content on the site is extremely rich and world exploring.

You can check Will's site out at:
www.worldmeets.us

We've provided further reading material on a few topics we touched upon during our conversation:

Iran-US Relations: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mossadeq

US-India Nuclear Deal: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States-India_Peaceful_Atomic_Energy_Cooperation_Act

We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com
Or you can drop us a voicemail at 646-495-9203 extension 62526.

If you don't have time to download the podcast and would like to listen to it over the phone (and if you have an unlimited plan or plenty of minutes to burn) you can dial 712-318-9952 to listen in.

Follow on Twitter.com/SKEWZ to get live updates of show releases

And remember...to get all sides of the story, visit SKEWZ.com

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Skewz Podcast #20: Australian Perspective, Paul Edwards on Why Bush's Foreign Policy is the Right Policy

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 19:49:15 -0700

Skewz Podcast #20: Australian Perspective, Paul Edwards on Why Bush's Foreign Policy is the Right Policy

Unfortunately we had some technical issues at the very beginning of the interview. Luckily the anoying clicks end only 45 seconds into the interview. From that point on, there was no problem.
Here is a trascript of the noisy part: (in reply to interview question which is clear)
Actually, after the Iraq war I started spending all my
time in the comments section of the Iraqi blogs..
After the liberation there were pro-liberation Iraqi
bloggers - several of them - who started blogs.
And there was an intense debate in the comments
section of those blogs.

In our efforts to get perspectives from all around the world, we spoke to Paul Edwards who to get an Australian viewpoint. Paul is a strong supporter of President Bush's decision to invade Iraq and also supports potential upcoming military action against Iran. Paul has spent considerable time communicating with Iraqi bloggers in Iraq to understand the mood in the country. He feels there is a strong, though small, community of secular Iraqis that are ideal for the West to partner with. Paul believes that the US is a beacon of hope for the globe that can lift the shackles of oppression around the earth. He feels that the US has largely acted selflessly and that it should continue to emancipate people who are subjugated by ruthless dictators and governments that are not representative of the will of the people or do not have an ideology that promotes free thinking. The perception that President Bush does not have strong supporters outside of the US is dispelled by our conservations with Paul.

You can check out Paul's blog at:
http://antisubjugator.blogspot.com

Paul refers to a few subjects that may be of interest to listeners:

Thanks America: http://antisubjugator.blogspot.com/2005/06/thanks-america.html

2002 US House Elections: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._House_election,_2002

Little Green Footballs Reference to Radical Islam: http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/29_Rushdie_is_still_in_deep_shit

Little Green Footballs History: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Green_Footballs

We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com .

Follow http:// Twitter.com/skewz to get live updates of show releases

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Skewz Podcast #19: The Emerging Technology of Media - A Conversation with Evan Maloney of Brain-Terminal.com

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 18:31:04 -0700

Skewz Podcast #19: The Emerging Technology of Media - A Conversation with Evan Maloney of Brain-Terminal.com

Evan describes himself as a libertarian or traditional conservative or classic liberal. Whatever, the label; Evan provided us a lot of great insights as to the nature of media bias and how technology may help to manage it. Evan provides us information on the history of "objectivity" in the media and how bias is unavoidable. He also goes on to describe how the Internet has allowed this bias to be better understood and managed. Evan is an advocate of having people take a look at all sorts of perspectives in order to formulate their own opinions. During our conversation we also explore some interesting new technologies such as twitter and the concept of hyperlocal media.

You can check out Evan's blog at:
www.brain-terminal.com

Further reading for topics we discussed can be found below:
Twitter: http://twitter.com

Microblogging: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro-blogging

Hyperlocal Media: http://ojr.org/ojr/glaser/1098833871.php

We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com

Or you can drop us a voicemail at 646-495-9203 extension 62526.

If you don't have time to download the podcast and would like to listen to it over the phone (and if you have an unlimited plan or plenty of minutes to burn) you can dial 712-318-9952 to listen in.

Follow SKEWZCAST on Twitter.com to get live updates of show releases

And remember...to get all sides of the story, visit SKEWZ.com

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Skewz Podcast #18: The Rise of the Independent Voter, A Discussion with Nancy Hanks

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 19:56:56 -0700

Skewz Podcast #18: The Rise of the Independent Voter, A Discussion with Nancy Hanks

Nancy Hanks is the muse behind the website The Hankster. You can visit her site by going to http://grassrootsindependent.blogspot.com. Nancy is part of a large and growing movement of non-party-affiliated voters who are looking for less partisanship in today's political environment. We spoke to Nancy about the rise of the non-partisan independent voter movement. Our discussion ranged from attempts by the parties to reduce the power of independent voters to how many younger voters are less interested in formally joining parties.

You can check out nancy's blog at:

http://grassrootsindependent.blogspot.com

We touched on the following topics which, for those interested, can be further investigated at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_(voter)

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com.

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Skewz Podcast #17: A Discussion with Steve Janke About The Rise of Conservatism in Canada

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 23:22:56 -0700

Skewz Podcast #17: A Discussion with Steve Janke About The Rise of Conservatism in Canada

We had a great conversation with Steve Janke of stevejanke.com. Steve's been working on his blog for the past several years and has chronicled the rise of conservatism in Canada which traditionally has had only various shades of liberal parties to choose from. In our conversation with Steve, we get an interesting perspective on how the historical shift in Canadian politics has taken place. Specifically, we learn how provincial politics helped to shape the shift to greater power for conservatives in Canada. Steve also shares his perspectives on the Canadian health care system and the upcoming legislation on taxing green house gas emissions. Both of these issues will be confronted by the US soon. As such, Steve's commentary is particularly relevant for those interested in this subject..

You can check out some of Steve's works at: stevejanke.com

Steve refers to a few historical events which you can get more information on through the links below:

National Energy Program: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Energy_Program

Sponsorship Scandal: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sponsorship_scandal

Provincial Transfer Payments: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equalization_payments

We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com
Or you can drop us a voicemail at 646-495-9203 extension 62526.

If you don't have time to download the podcast and would like to listen to it over the phone (and if you have an unlimited plan or plenty of minutes to burn) you can dial 712-318-9952 to listen in.

And remember...to get all sides of the story, visit SKEWZ.com

Follow SKEWZCAST on Twitter.com to get live updates of show releases

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Skewz Podcast #16: Pamela Geller and the Realities of the Post 9/11 World

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:58:05 -0700

Skewz Podcast #16: Pamela Geller and the Realities of the Post 9/11 World

We had a great conversation with Pamela Geller whose popular blog is Atlas Shrugs (see: http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com). Pamela spoke to us about the origins of both her blog and her political views which were quickly shaped in the aftermath of 9/11. The attacks on the World Trade Center led her to want to better understand the character and motives of those that attacked the United States. In the process of trying to find answers on her own through primary research, Pamela began to formulate her perspectives on the threat of radical Islam. During our conversation, Pamela indicated that she found that blogs were a source of more detailed and thorough information than the main stream media. As such, she began focuses on getting information from reliable blog sites. We spoke about some of the contributing factors to the rise of radical Islam. We also discussed Jimmy Carter's administration and the notions of post war mentality versus post-historical perspective.

We also spoke about the 2008 presidential election. She cited that nearly 50% of people believe that the media is helping Barrack Obama. In addition, we touched upon the New York Times on-going flap with the McCain campaign.

Again, you can enjoy many of Pamela's thoughts at: http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com

She also has a radio show now. You can find more information about her broadcast times and show details at her site.

We hope you enjoy the conversation with Mike as much as we did.

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com

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Skewz Podcast #15: Mike Finnigan Busting the Myth of Liberal Media Bias

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 23:26:21 -0700

Skewz Podcast #15: Mike Finnigan Busting the Myth of Liberal Media Bias

We had an entertaining conversation with Mike Finnigan of "Mike's Blog Roundup" of the site CrooksandLiars.com. Mike actually helped to come up with the name for the site. Some years ago, Mike used to have a personal distribution list called Crooks and Liars that was inspired by what he perceived as the many con men on the right. When John Amato started his site, he worked with Mike and used the Crooks and Liars name with Mike's blessings. Crooks and Liars pioneered the use of video snippets early on before it became easy and in vogue to do so. That innovation really generated loyalty within the liberal corners of the blogosphere.

Mike reviews a variety of sites regularly to come up with his blog roundup which chronicles the best liberal blog commentary on the Internet. Mike's scan ranges from the large blogs to more issue specific sites such as the pumphandle (at http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com).

Mike spoke with us extensively about the myth of liberal media bias. He suggested that the media just peddles the lowest consumable crap and that's the only true bias. He points to the allegedly liberal New York Times Iraq war coverage prior to the invasion, the paper's treatment of Al Gore in 2000, and other anecdoates to illustrate that the paper is not as liberal as some would like to suggest. Mike points to the Daily Howler for a good review of media quality (at: http://www.dailyhowler.com). Mike also discusses the rise of right wing think tanks and AM talk radio as exclusive bastions of right-wing thought. He feels that once the Fairness Doctrine evaporated, so did a lot of good journalism.

Mike also suggested a couple of books to check out. They are:

Neil Postman's How to Watch TV News and Amusing Ourselves to Death. Both can be found at Amazon.com.

You can check out Mike's Blog Roundup at CrooksandLiars.com

We hope you enjoy the conversation with Mike as much as we did.

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com

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Skewz Podcast #14: A Romp Through The History of Media Bias with Warner Todd Huston of Newsbusters.org

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:00:31 -0700

Skewz Podcast #14: A Romp Through The History of Media Bias with Warner Todd Huston of Newsbusters.org

We had an interesting conversation with Warner Todd Huston of Newsbusters.org. Newsbusters.org is a well known media bias watch dog site that focuses on liberal media bias. The site is part of the Media Research Center. Newsbusters.org is an outgrowth of other long standing media projects. Warner has been blogging for newsbuster.org for some time and has a great deal of insight on how the media has evolved in the US since the inception of the Republic. We talk about the early days of the pamphleteers to the modern concept of 'objective jounalis' which gained popularity only after World War II. Warner notes that we may now be going back to an era where the media is more in its natural state. We also discuss the declining quality of journalism...and, of course, we discuss how the media is covering the presidential campaign.

You can check out some of Warner's work at:

www.newsbusters.org

We touched on the following topics which, for those interested, can be further investigated at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairness_Doctrine

Warner likes the following sources:

powerlineblog.com
hotair.com

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com.

Follow SKEWZ on Twitter.com to get live updates of show releases

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Skewz Podcast #13: A Discussion with Kevin Williamson, Media Blogger for the National Review

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:38:29 -0700

Skewz Podcast #13: A Discussion with Kevin Williamson, Media Blogger for the National Review

If you are having trouble with the speed of the podcast (being too fast), try using the Firefox browser or download the podcast as an MP3 directly from here

We had an insightful conversation with Kevin Williamson of the National Review. Kevin has been a media blogger with the National Review since the beginning of 2008. Kevin talked to us about the causative factors of media bias. Some of the ideas he described are surprisingly simple but nonetheless powerful. He explained how many journalist simply have similar backgrounds and are based in similar social circles which reinforce established thinking. this thinking is often upper middle class and skewed leftward. We also discuss areas where the media just gets in wrong in terms of trying to interpret events or subjects with a significant lack of expertise. This issue is especially relevant with regard to topics such as economics. We also explore how the US media attempts to cover international news and often fails to detect trends and provide insights on emerging patterns that the US public never gets the chance to examine.

You can check out some of Kevin's works at:

http://media.nationalreview.com/

Kevin refers to a few subjects that may be of interest to listeners:

Pakistan's ISI: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inter_Services_Intelligence

United States-India Nuclear Deal: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States-India_Peaceful_Atomic_Energy_Cooperation_Act

We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com .

Follow SKEWZCAST on Twitter.com to get live updates of show releases

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Skewz Podcast #12: A Discussion with Mike Hendrix of ColdFury.com With A Perspective on Media Bias

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:43:03 -0700

Skewz Podcast #12: A Discussion with Mike Hendrix of ColdFury.com With A Perspective on Media Bias

We discussed a range of topics with Mike Hendrix of ColdFury.com. Mike lives in Charlotte, NC and started the blog right after 9/11. In fact, he registered the domain name on the 9/14/2001. Mike used to live in New York City and is a professional writer. He was a self-professed liberal through college and up to the first Gulf War after which he started to share more in common with the conservative perspective of politics. We talked to Mike about what he likes to read to better cultivate his opinions and what he finds too biased.

Mike gave these recommendations for sites to check out for a conservative perspective:

windsofchange.com

instapundit.com

conservativehq.com

pajamasmedia.com/rogerlsimon/

He sometimes also checks out Andrew Sullivan's blog though he believes Sullivan has moved too far away from traditional conservative perspectives.

Mike espouses a 'conservatarian' philosophy which is a libertarian world view with a conservative lean.

You can check out Mike's entertaining and insightful writing at:

coldfury.com

We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com .

Or you can drop us a voicemail at 646-495-9203 extension 62526.

If you don't have time to download the podcast and would like to listen to it over the phone (and if you have an unlimited plan or plenty of minutes to burn) you can dial 712-318-9952 to listen in.

And remember...to get all sides of the story, visit SKEWZ.com

Follow SKEWZCAST on Twitter.com to get live updates of show releases

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Skewz Podcast #11: Discussing Foreign Policy with Andrew Bishop and Matthew Eckel - How the Media Covers It And What Issues Are Really Important

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 07:44:23 -0700

Skewz Podcast #11: Discussing Foreign Policy with Andrew Bishop and Matthew Eckel - How the Media Covers It And What Issues Are Really Important

We had an incredibly interesting conversation with both Andrew Bishop and Matthew Eckel. They both cover US foreign policy and global affairs and are fairly well versed on the subject. Andrew is an American in Paris studying foreign policy. Matt is a New Englander living in DC whose been following foreign policy thinking for several years now. They are both bloggers and met through discussions within foreign policy blogging circles.

We got some great insights as to why they started blogging and the particular areas they've decided to focus on. Matt focuses on the Middle East and the Islamic World along with Global Identify Issues. Andrew focuses on how different vantage points (such as country of residence as one example) shape foreign policy perspectives.

You can check their sites out at:

Andrew Bishop: http://whatyoumustread.blogspot.com/

Matthew Eckel: http://fpwatch.blogspot.com/

We covered media coverage of foreign policy as part of our discussion. We also came away with a good list of recommended sites to check out to become more conversant about foreign policy topics. These include:

The World Politics Review at Slate.com

The American Enterprise Institute: http://www.aei.org/

The Heritage Foundation: www.heritage.org/

The Brookings Institute: www.brookings.edu

The Council on Foreign Affairs:www.cfr.org/

Other interesting blogs to check out:
Moderatevoice.com
pakistanpolicy.com

Additional resources of interest:

Ethnicity and its effects on foreign conflicts: http://whatyoumustread.blogspot.com/2008/04/can-ethnicity-explain-anything.html
Parag Khanna (from the New America Foundation): http://whatyoumustread.blogspot.com/2008/04/parag-khanna-is-typically-kind-of-guy.html

worldmeets.us - great site with translations of articles from foreign countries about the United States

We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com.

Or you can drop us a voicemail at 646-495-9203 extension 62526.

If you don't have time to download the podcast and would like to listen to it over the phone (and if you have an unlimited plan or plenty of minutes to burn) you can dial 712-318-9952 to listen in.

Follow SKEWZCAST on Twitter.com to get live updates of show releases

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Skewz Podcast #10: A Discussion with Kyle E. Moore About Media Bias and It's Impact on the 2008 Election - A Liberal Perspective

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:17:00 -0700

Skewz Podcast #10: A Discussion with Kyle E. Moore About Media Bias and It's Impact on the 2008 Election - A Liberal Perspective

We had a great conversation with Kyle Moore of commentsfromleftfield.com. Kyle was part of an interesting experiment several years ago where both liberal and conservative bloggers got together and tried to develop and interesting site where a variety of perspectives could be viewed. Unfortunately, in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina emotions ran high and the group disbanded. We discuss with Kyle the experience of starting a political blog and its evolution over time.

We also had an interesting discussion regarding media bias and its impact on the 2008 presidential election so far. That also provided us an opportunity to talk about how the electoral map may change in the New South- particularly Virginia which may be leaning blue despite being a strong red state historically.

You can check out some of Kyle's posts at:

commentsfromleftfield.com

But beyond the politics, we got a great understanding from Kyle of the effort it takes to start, maintain, and be continually inspired to maintain a political blog.

We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com.

Or you can drop us a voicemail at 646-495-9203 extension 62526.

If you don't have time to download the podcast and would like to listen to it over the phone (and if you have an unlimited plan or plenty of minutes to burn) you can dial 712-318-9952 to listen in.

And remember...to get all sides of the story, visit SKEWZ.com

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Skewz Podcast #9: A Conversation with Frank and Seth of PoliticalVindication.com - Insights and Wisdom from the Right

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:17:43 -0700

Skewz Podcast #9 - A Conversation with Frank and Seth of PoliticalVindication.com - Insights and Wisdom from the Right

We spoke with Frank and Seth of politicalvindication.com . We had a broad ranging conversation about media bias and some of the important topics of the day. You can, of course, check their site out at:
politicalvindication.com

You can also check out their radio show every Tuesday at 6pm Pacific at:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/politicalvindication

Frank and Seth started developing their political perspectives through a series of telephone conversations over several years. They lived several states apart but kept in touch and talked politics regularly. After refining their reasoning and arguments further and further, the two decided to start a blog to share their perspectives and insights. Frank and Seth espouse the enduring conservative principles of Ronald Reagan. They've shown great tenacity in creating their blog and amassing an impressive audience for their radio show...all this while living many miles apart and having full time jobs. Now, that is conviction...or maybe vindication...

We talked to Frank and Seth about the media and liberal bias that they perceive has well entrenched and pervasive. We also get a chance to talk about domestic and foreign policy issues from a right perspective.

We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com .

Or you can drop us a voicemail at 646-495-9203 extension 62526.

If you don't have time to download the podcast and would like to listen to it over the phone (and if you have an unlimited plan or plenty of minutes to burn) you can dial 712-318-9952 to listen in.

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And remember...to get all sides of the story, visit SKEWZ.co m

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Skewz Podcast #8 - A Conversation with Dr. Errington C. Thompson

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 23:14:18 -0700

Skewz Podcast #8 - A Conversation with Dr. Errington C. Thompson

A Conversation with Dr. Errington C. Thompson And His Outrage with the Bush Administration

We recently had the opportunity to sit down and speak with Dr. Thompson who describes himself as a "a surgeon, scholar, fulltime sports fan and part-time political activist."

During our discussion we talked about the why Dr. Thompson started his blog whereistheoutrage.com which can be visited at: http://www.whereistheoutrage.net/wordpress/ .

Dr. Thompson's concerns about the Bush administration run deep. In 2004 he published a book about his issues with the Bush administrations policies. During our conversation we discuss why he was so moved to go beyond simple emotional conversation with like-minded people to creating a blog, writing a book, and starting a regular radio program out of his Asheville, NC home to discuss issues he feels incredibly are central to the national interest.

We also discuss how the media enabled the progression of Bush administration policies that Dr. Thompson finds unfavorable and how the media can be transformed to better meet address our national concerns from his perspective.

You can check out a copy of the good doctor's book at: http://www.erringtonthompsonmd.com/outrage_audio.htm

We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com .

Or you can drop us a voicemail at 646-495-9203 extension 62526.

If you don't have time to download the podcast and would like to listen to it over the phone (and if you have an unlimited plan or plenty of minutes to burn) you can dial 712-318-9952 to listen in.

And remember...to get all sides of the story, visit SKEWZ.com

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Skewz Podcast #7 - www.newshounds.us

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:40:43 -0700

Skewz Podcast #7 - A Conversation with the Women of Newshounds.com- They Watch Fox News So You Don't Have To

Check the site out at:
http://www.newshounds.us

We had an interesting chat last week with the ladies at NewsHounds.us. Their mantra is "We watch Fox News so you don't have to." The group lives all over the country and works as a virtual organization. They first met and got together when working on the documentary Out Foxed. You can learn more about that documentary at:
http://www.outfoxed.org/OutfoxedSummary.php

The ladies worked as research assistants for the project and were assigned shows to watch on Fox and note examples of bias. They indicated that they were shocked at what they ended up seeing. Their perceptions of Fox changed. After the documentary was completed, they stuck together and created the site:
http://www.newshounds.us

On the site you can see examples of perceived bias on Fox News and good discussion and debate on the nature of the bias and its implications.

We had a very interesting conversation about the nature of right-wing bias and its manifestations with regard to Fox News.

We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com .

Or you can drop us a voicemail at 646-495-9203 extension 62526.

If you don't have time to download the podcast and would like to listen to it over the phone (and if you have an unlimited plan or plenty of minutes to burn) you can dial 712-318-9952 to listen in.

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And remember...to get all sides of the story, visit SKEWZ.com

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Skewz Podcast #6 - Talking with Blake Hounshell About US-Iranian Relations

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 18:56:39 -0700

Skewz Podcast #6 - Talking with Blake Hounshell
From http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/bhounshell

Correction: We say it's #7 on the show. It's actually #6. Sorry for the mistake.

We spoke this week with Blake Hounshell of Foreign Policy the renowned publication started by Samuel Huntington in 1970 and currently published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Blake is a journalist for Foreign Policy and also has an impressive blog at: http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/bhounshell He covers a range of topics each day from around the world.

When we spoke, we primarily focused on US-Iranian relations and the implications on US foreign policy.

Interesting stories on Skewz related to this topic include:

http://www.skewz.com/link/link_details/7359
http://www.skewz.com/link/link_details/7287
http://www.skewz.com/link/link_details/7251
http://www.skewz.com/link/link_details/7231
http://www.skewz.com/link/link_details/7224

Background information on topics covered can be found at:

Mohammed Mossadegh: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed_Mossadegh
Iran Hostage Crisis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_hostage_crisis
Last Shah of Iran: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Reza_Pahlavi

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Skewz Podcast #5 - A Conversation with Brad Friedman (bradblog.com)

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 23:54:52 -0700

Skewz Podcast #5 - A Conversation with Brad Friedman and the Very Important Issue of Election Fraud
From http://bradblog.com

We recently had the opportunity to sit down and speak with Brad Friedman who has tirelessly followed the issue of election fraud in our democracy for the past several years. Brad was a writer, director, and producer in LA. He also worked as a software developer for nearly 10 years. After the 2004 election he became a passionate advocate for transparency in our election process. He blogs extensively at bradblog.com along with guest stints at Huffingtonpost.com

During our discussion we talked about the evolution of the election system since the controversial election of 2000. We also discussed the recent HBO movie Recount.

Interesting links associated with our conversation include:

http://www.fec.gov/hava/hava.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help_America_Vote_Act
http://american.edu/ia/cfer/report/full_report.pdf
http://www.hbo.com/films/recount/

We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.

Comments can be sent by email to blog@skewz.com .

Or you can drop us a voicemail at 646-495-9203 extension 62526.

If you don't have time to download the podcast and would like to listen to it over the phone (and if you have an unlimited plan or plenty of minutes to burn) you can dial 712-318-9952 to listen in.

Follow SKEWZCAST on Twitter.com to get live updates of show releases

And remember...to get all sides of the story, visit SKEWZ.com

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Skewz Podcast #4 - Talking with Frodar

Mon, 12 May 2008 22:05:52 -0700

Skewz Podcast #4 - Talking with Frodar

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Skewz Podcast #3 - Talking with Marlowe

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:21:50 -0700

Skewz Podcast #3 - Talking with Marlowe

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Show Notes:|
Skewz stories mentioned on the show:
http://www.skewz.com/link/link_details/6378
http://www.skewz.com/link/link_details/6329
http://www.skewz.com/link/link_details/6150
http://www.skewz.com/link/link_details/6246

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Skewz Podcast #2

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 23:38:26 -0700

Skewz Podcast #2

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Show Notes:

One of the Obama speeches was extracted from a YouTube video. The audio on the original clip is very hard to understand. But the video includes the transcribed text.

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Skewz Podcast episode 1

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:13:00 -0700

Skewz Podcast #1

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