CNN calls Roger Ebert ugly for disability

Posted on March 6, 2011 by Stephen Pate

CNN and Richard Gallant should apologize for calling Ebert’s struggle with cancer as “ugly”

: CNN secretly labels Roger Ebert’s disability “ugly” (photo CNN)

In a story entitled Ebert closes TED conference with emotional talk – and a laugh, CNN secretly calls the moment at the TED conference “ugly.”

Thanks CNN for perpetuating the discrimination against people with disabilities as “ugly” when they look different.

How do I know? Check out the original title for the story which is found in the permalink – roger-ebert-closes-ted-conference-on-ugly-note

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/04/roger-ebert-closes-ted-conference-on-ugly-note/comment-page-1/#comment-485277

That’s what Richard Galant, the writer who set the story up in WordPress, called his draft. Then he published the story with that ugly title. Continue reading →

Amazing Chilean mine rescue played out on TV

Posted on October 13, 2010 by Stephen Pate

Never before seen on television says Larry King of CNN

image CNN

We stayed up until 2 am last night to watch the first two miners rescued from 2,000 feet underground.

The whole world is watching the rescue on TV, their cell phones, and on the internet.

The new president of Chile Sebastián Piñera appears to be an genuine human and not the typical posturing politician. He is swept up in the emotion of the moments like all of us.

The CNN live link is here.

The television coverage is first class as it should be. The telegenic President of Chile owns the network. He is also a billionaire and one of Chile’s richest men.

As I write this post, the 12th miner has reached the desert plateau, saved from the depths of hell in the mine.

He hugs his family, fellow workers, the President of Chile and other officials and dignitaries at the mine rescue site. Continue reading →

Massive quake, aftershocks hit Chile; at least 147 dead

Posted on February 27, 2010 by Byline

Santiago, Chile (CNN) — A massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake rocked Chile early Saturday, killing at least 147 people and triggering tsunami warnings for the entire Pacific basin.

CNN - Warning sirens were sounded in Hawaii at 6 a.m. (11 a.m. ET), although any possible tsunami would not strike for several hours. Tsunamis can travel at 400 to 500 mph — the speed of a jet plane, said Georgia Tech geology professor Kurt Frankel. Continue reading →

NJN on your iPhone

Posted on February 20, 2010 by Stephen Pate

The results are surprisingly good

NJN Network on iPhone

Please give NJN Mobile a try and tell us what is working for you and what is not. There is nothing special you need to do – just bookmark our site in your mobile browser and check it out.

When I first got an iPhone using it for web access was horribly slow. Pages were taking 1-2 minutes to appear. Moving to the next page was painful.

As the demand for smart phone access has increased, new software has improved smart phone access.

Two weeks ago we installed a widget that translates web pages into smart phone pages. Since then we’ve tweaked the software and think it’s working very well.

On 3G service, our main page loads in 6-10 seconds which isn’t that much slower than on a computer. Instead of a picture thumbnail, we show the date and headline. The front page loads faster and you can see the newest stories for the day. Update – with faster speeds using thumbnails is feasible.

The pages are sized to fit the iPhone and the text is readable.

YouTube videos play but Flash videos don’t. That’s an Apple limitation. Video on smart phone is painfully slow. You are at the mercy of bad connections and too much data.

Benchmarking NJN Network against other news sites, CBC takes about 15-30 seconds from the front page and then 10-20 seconds for the next pages.

Continue reading →

Hi Sweetie – Dr. Sanjay Gupta saves 15 day old

Posted on January 24, 2010 by Stephen Pate

Heroic and touching video of CNN correspondent switching to physician caring for infant

This January 15th video, shot only three days into the Haitian rescue efforts, is one of the most touching videos from Haiti. Dr. Gupta’s kindness and compassion shine through as he stops reporting and pitches in to help this 15 day old baby who would have died otherwise.

Dr. Gupta did this kind of work over and over since he arrived in Haiti. He also made sense of the medical emergency and reported on problems and roadblocks in the delivery of health care. Dr. Gupta was the one stayed all night in the makeshift hospital when the Belgian UN doctors left for the night. Security concerns cause doctors to leave hospital, quake victims

Dr. Gupta is a hero. There are many heroes in Haiti. He is one of the more visible ones.

Haitian man rescued after 11 days in rubble

Posted on January 24, 2010 by Byline

360 degree videos give immersive view of Port au Prince

Posted on January 23, 2010 by Stephen Pate

Roam the city and look around – so cool you will have to try it

Haiti 360 degrees of video

This series of videos taken in Port-au-Prince allow you to change your point of view 360 degrees horizontally and vertically. With the mouse you can change your point of view as the camera rolls through neighborhoods. Look left or right, up down – it’s amazing technology.

You get a real feel for the city and its neighborhoods and avoid the claustrophobic images TV news shows are promoting.

The city looks calm. People are walking around normally but there are few vehicles. Try it on the next page.

Continue reading →

Mile wide smile on rescued boy

Posted on January 22, 2010 by Byline

The smile seen round the world; CNN’s Jeanne Moos on a Haitian kid’s you-saved-my-life grin

CNN

Aid workers frustrated with relief effort

Posted on January 20, 2010 by Byline

Anger boiled over on the streets of Haiti’s capital Tuesday — not just from residents who have gone a week without food and water, but from the people who are supposed to be providing it.

more about “Aid workers frustrated with relief ef…“, posted with vodpod

Continue reading →

6.1 Richter After-Shock Rocks Haiti

Posted on January 20, 2010 by Stephen Pate

Strong after-shock at 6:03 AM local time sends Haitians and rescuers back to the streets of Port Au Prince

Shake Map Haiti 6.1 Richter earthquake 1/20/2010 6:03 AM US Geologicial Survey

A new strong earthquake hit Haiti this morning. The quake was inland 35 miles WSW of Port au Prince, Haiti and 6.2 miles below the surface. That would put the quake on the northern side of the peninsula that stretches west from Port-Au-Prince, almost at a mid-point to La Cayes which sustained serious damage last week.

Reports from the stricken region are coming in. “Some buildings already weakened by last week’s quake collapsed and wails of terror filled the air as frightened survivors poured out of unstable buildings, a BBC correspondent in the region said.” BBC

Haitian rock musician Wyclef Jean, who has been working from the first moments of last week’s quake, just Twittered “6.1 Earthquake again We need 2 evacuate people out side of the Capital. 2 n open field with tents through out haiti, I’m Asking 4 a Exodus”

The need to move people, if possible from the virtually destroyed city of Port au Prince my be the only possibility to keep people from further injury.

Continue reading →