Blogs are a familiar feature on the internet - where users post content in an accumulating manner, with comments, and search options, etc. They facilitate expression and exploration, and via attached comments, also debate and synthesis.
Reading and Navigating Blogs
Our blogs are quite powerful. Each writer can post, as is typically the case. Sustainers who have the option can also post, however. All Blogs appear in the blog system, and sometimes also in content boxes the top page of ZNet - and always via the left menu of the top page - and can be found via searches, etc.
Commenting on blogs follows the blogs, attached at the bottom, and blog comments, like all others, are also visible in many places that show comments including in the forum system. In addition, the entire blog system gathers content for everyone - but one can look at the accumulating content in many ways.
For example one can look at one writer's efforts - so one is seeing what is effectively a blog system for that one writer, or Sustainer.
One can also look at the content by topic, seeing blogs that are tagged as being about a certain topic - or place, as well. Thus, when doing that, it is a blog system about a topic, or a place, with many contributors.
One can look at only writer blogs, or only sustainer blogs, as well.
One can look at blogs for particular Groups, too.
All this is easily done using the left menu. Searches allow even more variables and refinements.
Creating Blog Posts
If you are a Sustainer with permission, and are logged in, you will see a link in the left menu for you to post a blog - and you can use that to post one, and then tag it various ways (such as with a topic or place, or a group tag), and once you do, it is in the system with you as the author.
You can also use the console button to the left to post a blog - anytime and from anywhere in the site, as long as you are logged in.
Meanwhile, enjoy the blogs - and, by the way, if you are a Free Member or a Sustainer with a ZSpace page, of course you can put one or more content boxes on it, pulling blog links of any sort you may want to filter for, for example, by you or by your friends or by others - and by topic, about places, for groups, etc.
Quick note from Corporate World about one politician's seamless transition into the drug world. It doesn't get more slimy than this folks. It's quite an endearing tale, actually; one that will surely reverberate in the halls of infamy:
It's a story about Billy Tauzin, a Louisiana Republican, who spent 12 terms as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Much of Billy boy's time in office was spent tirelessly defending the rights of Big Pharma - that underrepresented, underpaid group. He headed the House Energy and Commerce Committee - which (laxly) regulates the pharmaceutical industry - and was instrumental in the Medicare drug-benefit law.
But Billy Bob's time in the hallowed halls of Congress came to a close earlier this year and we have learned now that he is moving on to MUCH greener pastures. (By green I mean profitable, slimy and envied)
You guessed it dear reader. Tauzin - after retiring as the head government regulator of the pharmaceutical industry - is about to become the head of the pharmaceutical industry. Billy man was just hired as chief executive of The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America - the very very powerful drug lobby representing Big Pharma.
From drug regulator to drug lobbyist - what career change could be more fluid?
First, Haliburton is not a country, second do you know what Bechtel did in a Latin Country with the water supplies? I know it starts some kind of a popular revolution there when this company (which, otherwise, builds civilizations) began to tax even the rain water with half of people incomes. On the other hand drugs are so expensive in US not because there is no free market outside but because US population could afford higher prices. Is that simple. You should read it for yourself on Drug Compare
And Paul and Wandering Child, I totally agree that this blurry line
between private and public affairs is not only entrenched, but also a
vital component of our power structure. How are we going to inform the
public? Or is fighting an information war with the mass media and the
entertainment industry even a viable prospect at this point?I must disagree why should you have a war with the media ? want to be on the <a href="http://www.MyOhioNewsBlog.com">Ohio news</a> or
<a href="http://www.CaliforniaNewsBlog.com">California news</a> ?
I guess that the Cheney/hulliburton issue is the final step of this
"feedback" policy: when the income is low "they" sent back the guy to
the Congress/Government to "fix" the problem.
Does anyone have a link to any information on the Medicare drug-benefit law mentioned above? It's like I'm in the twilight zone, I've ran into 3 broken links.
Yakov Bok, you do know what function Halliburton serves in regards to the military, right? Yeah, they perform non-combat troop service. As I now reflect upon my own military training and service, not once to I remember being instructed on how to build a civilization. However, I do recall learning how to most proficiently kill with a rifle, throw hand grenades, lay claymore mines, fire anti-tank weapons and heavy guns, dig fox holes, kill with a bayonet....pretty much everything that has to do with blowing shit up and every day I got three square meals from Halliburton so that I may have the strength to get up and do it all over again. Does that sound like civilization building to you?
When patents were attached to drug processes, new companies were continually seeking to find more effective and cheaper manufacturing processes. This resulted in more competition between the drug firms and higher quality at lower costs for the consumer. Now that patents protect the substance itself, drug firms monopolize their product (which tax payers subsidized) and can sell them at exorbitant costs. So, we've moved from a consumer friendly, competition driven drug market into a monopoly oriented, tax payer gouging market. I think concern is rational, if we care about consumers and their access to healthcare.
However, Yakov, I may have missed important points that underlie and lead to your conclusions. Please inform me where I went wrong.
And Paul and Wandering Child, I totally agree that this blurry line between private and public affairs is not only entrenched, but also a vital component of our power structure. How are we going to inform the public? Or is fighting an information war with the mass media and the entertainment industry even a viable prospect at this point?
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Keep up the good work CP Panda.
Clearly this information is tightly controlled, allowing a public officials to lie, cheat, and steal; and meanwhile our tax dollars continue to flow to Washington. So even if Halliburton is the only company able to do this job, the interactions between Halli and our government need transparency for public scrutiny. After all, that is our money: we need to see why, when, where, on what, and how it is spent.
In regards to the US pharmacuetical industry, I wonder if you realize tax payers subsidize about 50% of the research in that industry. In return, we get higher prices than other countries buying from the same companies. And with regard to your comment on drug patents: the entire drug patent policy is anti-competition, anti-innovation, anti-consumer, pro-monopoly, pro-big business. I say this because our drug patents laws have shifted from covering processes to covering substances.
Yakov Bok, I am curious if you believe what you write?
On your first question, Cheney/Halliburton is a serious issue because: Halliburton receives massive tax payer subsidies (which few tax payers are aware of) in the form of government contracts - details of which are lobbied for, reviewed, then approved in private by Cheney, Rumsfeld and other DOD officials. There is evidence this process is biased and also highly wasteful, not to mention the frequent exposures of bribery and corruption in the bidding process. I remember hearing Halliburton over charged our government an extra billion or so for simply middle-man duties: finding another subcontractor.
None of this matters if we live in a totalitarian state, as it would be standard practice. But in theory, America is a representative democracy, and Americans require access to information regarding political and economic decisions made by their representatives.
Just one question, are you being ironic, aren´t you?.Oops,... No, your comment is a "serious" one, I have just seen your comment in the Chomsky blog ( Noam as an apologist of the Khmer Rouge ???).
I don´t need to put down Cheney/hullyburton, your comments do it for me; keep the good job, Yakob Bok.
First, why is the Cheney/Halliburton connection even an issue? The fact is, Halliburton is a company that builds civilizations. It is the ONLY country in the world that is capable of doing what it does. For example, Bechtel is a subcontractor of Halliburton's. If you are going to criticize Halliburton, it is apparent that you do not understand the task at hand.
Second, calling for more regulation in the pharma world is riduculous. The U.S. pharam industry is already the most regulated pharma industry IN THE WORLD. That is precisely why U.S. drugs are the safest. The fact is, the reason U.S. drugs are more expensive in the U.S. is that foreign governments engage in blackmail by refusing to support drug patents, which are critical to innovation, and then subsidize their own markets through taxes and tariffs. If the free market were allowed to reign overseas, this discussion would be moot.
As far as Tauzin is concerned, there is a law on the books that says public officials must wait X amount of years before becoming lobbyists. Perhaps you should be discussing increasing that waiting period.
I guess that the Cheney/hulliburton issue is the final step of this "feedback" policy: when the income is low "they" sent back the guy to the Congress/Government to "fix" the problem.
Oh yes, this is how it works. I read somewhere (maybe in William Greider's chilling book Who Will Tell the People?), that a brief stint in the relevant public banking regulatory agencies is considered part of the career path for many top private sector banking officials. This revolving door phenomenon is a pivotal and not always sufficiently appreciated part of the many-sided domination that the corporate master class exercises over policy. It's about so much more than campaign contributions. And of course the private sector pays ex-government officials about...what, 20 (whatever) times the amount of money what they could make in "public service." A good banking executive wannabe knows this quite well and so makes sure not to do anything to piss off the industry while he''s in public office...part of why I never get excited about demands to reduce the salaries of public officials.
ZNet Articles
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First, Haliburton is not a
By Kissenger, Clark at Jun 27, 2007 09:42 AM
First, Haliburton is not a country, second do you know what Bechtel did in a Latin Country with the water supplies? I know it starts some kind of a popular revolution there when this company (which, otherwise, builds civilizations) began to tax even the rain water with half of people incomes. On the other hand drugs are so expensive in US not because there is no free market outside but because US population could afford higher prices. Is that simple. You should read it for yourself on Drug Compare
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response
By News, Atlanta at Mar 08, 2007 23:38 PM
And Paul and Wandering Child, I totally agree that this blurry line between private and public affairs is not only entrenched, but also a vital component of our power structure. How are we going to inform the public? Or is fighting an information war with the mass media and the entertainment industry even a viable prospect at this point?I must disagree why should you have a war with the media ? want to be on the <a href="http://www.MyOhioNewsBlog.com">Ohio news</a> or
<a href="http://www.CaliforniaNewsBlog.com">California news</a> ?
Reply this comment
I guess that the
By Loss, Weight at Mar 02, 2007 20:00 PM
I guess that the Cheney/hulliburton issue is the final step of this "feedback" policy: when the income is low "they" sent back the guy to the Congress/Government to "fix" the problem.
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to anyone who has the answer
By Kissenger, Clark at Oct 06, 2006 21:59 PM
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Re: Seamless Transitions
By Hesed00, Hesed at Dec 16, 2004 21:21 PM
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By Apocalypse, Unfolding at Dec 16, 2004 00:25 AM
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Re: Seamless Transitions
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Re: Seamless Transitions
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Re: Seamless Transitions
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Re: Seamless Transitions
By Bok, Yakov at Dec 15, 2004 22:56 PM
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Re: Seamless Transitions
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Re: Seamless Transitions
By Street, Paul at Dec 15, 2004 21:26 PM
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