Monday, December 21, 2009

“Mancini looks to repeat his Milan success - Irish Times” plus 4 more

“Mancini looks to repeat his Milan success - Irish Times” plus 4 more

Mancini looks to repeat his Milan success - Irish Times

Posted: 21 Dec 2009 08:59 AM PST

irishtimes.com - Last Updated: Monday, December 21, 2009, 17:49

Soccer: Manchester City chief executive Garry Cook has admitted the club agreed a deal with Roberto Mancini the day before Mark Hughes was sacked. Italian Mancini was unveiled by the Eastlands outfit less than 48 hours after Hughes' dismissal following the 4-3 win over Sunderland.

Cook and the City hierarchy have come in for criticism but the club chief executive insists talk of a player rebellion at Eastlands is false.

"The decision to seriously look at other managerial options was taken just three weeks ago following the Hull City game (November 28th)," Cook said.

"I think it is important to know that Roberto was only offered the job after the Spurs game (December 16th).

"We negotiated on Thursday, finalised an agreement on Friday and he was not in the stadium on Saturday as was falsely reported."

Cook said: "The intention was to tell Mark immediately after the game on Saturday. That would give Roberto and his team a full week to prepare for the next game.

"Regrettably, and despite our best efforts, rumours of discussions with Roberto Mancini became public before the game.

"Once Mark was informed, I informed his coaching staff and the players were then informed. That is why Kolo Toure and Shay Given were asked to attend a meeting after the game."

Cook insists the players did not react badly to Hughes' sacking despite reports to the contrary.

"There was no player rebellion, the playing and training staff are going about their business as usual, most professionally led by Roberto and Brian Kidd."

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Public's perception of nuclear power may be affected by TV's Simpsons ... - Metronews.ca

Posted: 21 Dec 2009 03:16 AM PST

LONDON - Fashion designer Tom Ford has made a seamless transition to filmmaker with "A Single Man," the soulful, immaculately styled story of a grieving college professor in 1960s California.

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The Philosophy Behind FoxNews And The Right-wing Media - DAILY KOS

Posted: 21 Dec 2009 10:18 AM PST

Let me state at the outset that in reality these techniques are being used throughout our entire corporate media landscape, as I pointed out on my diary titled You Are Brainwashed, And So Am I.

However, as we move inexorably towards a new order characterized by a neo-fascist corporatist-led government, FoxNews and the rest of the right-wing media serve as an accelerator towards that Orwellian reality.

They push the envelope of the manufactured reality further and further, until the absurdities they espouse become accepted by their target audience (the extreme right winger; the religious fundamentalist; the racist and ultranationalist; the ignorant), and ignored or derided by the rest.  This state of affairs serves to bring about an alternate and manufactured reality that ultimately benefit the ruling elite.  

There is a lot of research on this, but I'll focus on a couple of aspects of it.  

Right after World War II the U.S. government brought into the United States 700 Nazi scientists who were experts on mind control research.  They helped with projects like MK-Ultra, and 1950's CIA experiments in "brainwashing" techniques.  

During the 1976 Church (Congressional) hearings: "The report identifies over 50 US journalists directly employed by the CIA, along with many others who were affiliated and paid by the CIA, and reveals the CIA's policy to have "their" journalists and authors publish CIA-approved information, and disinformation, overseas in order to get that material disseminated in the United States."

This is really not that surprising since it is widely known that the CIA, the military, and other secret government organizations engage in this sort of activities (to this day).

But the interesting thing is that this research became an important tool in the hands of commercial interests, or what can be characterized as the Military Industrial Complex.  The findings and techniques that came out of this research also found their way into broader used by corporatist interests.

Also, there has been a lot of research on actually using electromagnetic fields from monitors to manipulate the nervous system.  Here's a description of US Patent 6506148: "It is therefore possible to manipulate the nervous system of a subject by pulsing images displayed on a nearby computer monitor or TV set. For the latter, the image pulsing may be imbedded in the program material, or it may be overlaid by modulating a video stream, either as an RF signal or as a video signal."

From a political philosophy standpoint, one of the fathers of right-wing thought is Leo Strauss.  I argue that the corporatist media (all mainstream media in the U.S.) follows his philosophy to a certain extent.

One telling sign of this was reported in a 2004 New York Times article titled "Faith, Certainty and the Presidency of George W. Bush", by Ron Suskind.

The aide said that guys like me were "in what we call the reality-based community," which he defined as people who "believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality." I nodded and murmured something about enlightenment principles and empiricism. He cut me off. "That's not the way the world really works anymore," he continued. "We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality — judiciously, as you will — we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do."

This concept of "creating our own reality" is what the Right is all about (I include both major parties here).

In a 2004 article by Tom Barry titled "Leo Strauss and Intelligence Strategy" he elucidates on this by commenting on a book by Shadia Drury:

In her book Leo Strauss and the American Right, Shadia Drury elaborates on Strauss' view that a political aristocracy must necessarily manipulate the masses for their own good. The Straussian worldview, according to Drury, contends that "perpetual deception of the citizens by those in power is critical because they need to be led, and they need strong rulers to tell them what's good for them."

The Progressive Movement Strategy

Even if you don't believe half (or more) of what I posit here, it should be clear to the reader that the Right is very well-organized when it comes to a propaganda strategy.

I've often argued that it pains me to see leaders and activists of the progressive movement fighting this propaganda juggernaut with one hand tied behind their backs.

And I know that the reason behind this is because for decent people of good will who are working to help bring about a better world, a more perfect union, it is inconceivable to even consider fighting back using the same weapons the other side is using.  They believe that it is beneath them; that it is evil.

And so I see many progressives always reacting to absurdity by explaining; by making the record straight; by defending themselves.  There is not an elaborate and well-thoughtout strategy to go on the attack; to control the message; to reach the citizen at a visceral and emotional level (like the other side does).

It is my contention that the world is not necessarily a nice place.  Evil, and trickery, and deception, manipulation, exploitation, are rampant.  They are everywhere.

Any measure of dignity and tolerable living conditions achieved for the average woman has been reached by incredibly hard struggles.  Justice, equality under the law, workers' rights, constitutional protections, at one level are not the historic status quo.  They are very fragile and can be gone in a blink of an eye (historically speaking).

The Left must learn how to fight against this incredibly powerful and organized oppressive regime being put in place as you read this.  And it must untie the other hand.  It must fight to maintain hard-won rights, and to expand on them.  And the fight must be in earnest, with gusto, as if everything was on the line.  Because it is.

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Honda’s design philosophy stresses function - KRDO

Posted: 21 Dec 2009 02:40 AM PST

Honda isn't typically singled out for its design expertise. Instead, it is the fun-to-drive and rock-solid aspects of Honda vehicles that usually get top billing. But quietly, Honda has been capturing more and more international kudos for its leading-edge design work, and we were pleased to have the opportunity to meet with Nobuki Ebisawa, the corporate managing director and general manager of styling and design development, to talk about it.

Ebisawa stressed two simple and overarching themes for Honda design: dynamism and functionality. He said the company's designers still draw inspiration from the functional designs of the first-generation Civic and first-generation Accord that were drawn in the same nondescript design studio in which Ebisawa and his crew work today. And at the same time, they look back all the way to the 1963 S500 sports car to channel the dynamism that helps set the brand apart. 

Ebisawa is proud of what he calls "an unbroken chain of dynamism and functionality" that stretches from those earliest models through the legendary Acura NSX sports coupe of the '90s to the Honda Odyssey minivan that transformed its segment. He expects that the upcoming hybrid Honda CR-Z, which was shown in concept form at the recent Tokyo Motor Show, will draw on both aspects of the Honda personality. Functionality will be characterized by the fuel-efficient hybrid drivetrain, and dynamism will be expressed by the car's style and fun-to-drive nature.

While the exterior design of Honda vehicles has not always been highly praised, the interior of its vehicles -- and especially their instruments and controls -- have routinely been lauded around the globe. Ebisawa cites his group's intense study of the "man-machine interface" for this, noting that Honda has long relied on the philosophy "Man maximum, machine minimum" in its designs. This means that Honda's controls are intended to be intuitive, not intrusive: to help the driver, not to challenge the driver or to make a design statement for design's sake.

An example of this effort is the bi-level instrument panel seen on the current Honda Civic. Intuitive operation and instant recognition were keys in the design, and Ebisawa said that in the "layered construction," perceived space is enhanced and line of sight movement minimized to prioritize information. Special effort goes into achieving natural hand position and create buttons that are easily understood. Ebisawa believes that voice support is the next frontier in making things simpler and more functional.

Since 2000, said Ebisawa, Honda design execs made the conscious decision to add emotional appeal to the company's vehicles without compromising functionality. In keeping with the "man maximum, machine minimum" philosophy, space has been intentionally reduced for mechanical components, and interior space with long rooflines has been increased to maximize usable roominess.

The Honda CR-Z, which will be launched next year, will encapsulate all these ideas in a vehicle that is functional and emotional, dynamic yet pragmatic. It draws on Honda's long heritage while at the same time presenting a new face and a new heart. The CR-Z will also be the harbinger of even more fascinating products from the carmaker that was once best known for its motorcycles.

Tom Ripley Driving Today Contributing Editor Tom Ripley writes frequently about the auto industry and the human condition from his home in Villeperce, France. He is a big fan of the art world. 

Copyright (c) 2009 Studio One Networks. All rights reserved.

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Former Microsoft Exec Becomes New GM Finance Chief - Gant Daily

Posted: 21 Dec 2009 01:03 PM PST

Detroit, Michigan, United States (AHN) - General Motors Co. announced Monday it has hired former Microsoft Corp. chief financial officer Chris Liddell, who will assume the job of vice chairman and CFO starting January.

Liddell, 51, is a New Zealander and has been with Microsoft since 2005 and his hiring sends GM CFO Ray Young to the company's international department effective February 2010. He orchestrated the $44.6 billion failed bid to acquire Yahoo! Inc. last year.

Liddell has an engineering degree and a philosophy degree from the Oxford University. Before Microsoft, he was the CFO of International Paper Co.

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