Media-Whore D'Oeuvres

"If you think the president's economic and technology advisers are confused, self-contradictory, and captives of a dying conventional wisdom, you are correct. The latest and greatest evidence of this is the Report to the President on Ensuring American Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing just released by the President's Council of Advisers on Science and Technology (PCAST) and the President's Innovation and Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC). It is just a wonderful example of an elite group struggling to avoid the policy consequences of its own conclusions in order to conform to a deeply engrained conventional wisdom. The first part of the report is straight forward, honest, and devastating in its analysis and conclusions. It states unequivocally that U.S. manufacturing, which has been the world leader for a century, is in serious decline compared to the manufacturing of other advanced countries like Germany, Japan, and Switzerland whose wages and social expenditures are far above those of the United States. This is a direct contradiction of the claims of the U.S. community of professional economists and, more importantly, of the National Association of Manufacturers that U.S. manufacturing is holding its own and has never been better. In this regard, the report emphasizes that the decline of U.S. manufacturing is not limited to low tech manufacturing, but is also dangerously advanced in high tech manufacturing. It further states that innovation is closely tied to manufacturing capability and concludes that the United States cannot remain the global engine of innovation without maintaining a leading position in manufacturing. This is a direct contradiction of conventional U.S. economic doctrine that holds manufacturing to be unimportant for the U.S. economy in what it posits as the post-industrial services and high technology age." (ForeignPolicy)

"Speaking of the fix, I predict Murdoch will get off and will be allowed to purchase Sky, and everything will be hunky-dory once it blows over. Back in 1994, Sue Douglas and John Witherow hired me to write the 'Atticus' column for the Sunday Times. Witherow proposed 80K. 'I get 80 from the (London Spectator),' I told them. 'Cut the crap,' said Sue, 'the Spectator doesn’t pay you 80,000 pounds per annum.' The penny dropped and all I said was, 'Where’s the contract? I’ll sign anything.' The funny thing was that a week later at a New York party, the great Rupert himself came up to me and told me how happy he was 'that you were joining our family.' I was flattered until I heard him say to his wife Anna, whom I was seated next to at dinner, to be very careful about what she said in front of me. Couple of years later, at a New York bash, Rupert approached me and asked me to 'stir it up a bit'—namely, to go after Mort Zuckerman, owner of the New York Daily News, direct competitor to Rupert’s New York Post. Which I did, until I was told that Rupert had ordered the then-editor of the Post—I also had a column there—never to allow me to attack Zuckerman. Go figure!" (Takimag)
 

"Yesterday was Wednesday and Wednesday is the Michael’s lunch ... A lot of people were discussing Mr. Murdoch and his performance before Parliament the previous day. Remember, Mr. Murdoch to New Yorkers is a New Yorker. He and his wife Wendi Deng and their children, live at 834 Fifth Avenue in a huge triplex that he bought from the Laurance Rockefeller estate; and he owns the New York Post and the Wall Street Journal, both of which are very popular papers even with those who disagree or disregard their political slants ... The Murdochs have never made much of a social presence here although his influence (read: power) is recognized for what it is and respected. Part of that is probably the almost nomadic nature of their lives. If either one of them wanted to be a part of the social scene, it would be open to them. Like many of the older set here who wield great influence and in some cases tremendous financial power, they prefer a smaller coterie of influential friends and high level gossips. All of these people like gossip remember, often more than most, and the stuff they hear/exchange, the inside is often very high up and NEVER printed. A lot of it always has to do with sex, along with all the spice that accompanies in the culture of greed and venality." (NYSocialDiary)

"The oppressive heat didn’t keep the faithful away from Michael’s today. The joint was jumping with media mavens of every stripe, including one editor who is clearly having a moment (David Zinczenko), high-profile publishers (Connie Ann Phillips, Donna Lagani) and, of course, a boldfaced name (Melania Trump) thrown in the mix. It seemed as if all anyone wanted to talk about on (and off) the record was the imploding scandal surrounding Rupert Murdoch. Said one source close to the action, 'This could be bigger than anyone yet knows. Just wait if this thing hits New York. That would be major.' Uber agent and Londoner Ed Victor weighed in with this: 'I made a $100 bet with Alfred Taubman that by this time next year [Murdoch] won’t be CEO.' And why? The corporation has no choice but to 'throw him under the bus,' he said, adding that the televised hearings that have everyone riveted are 'a complete wash.'" (FishbowlNY)

"It's tough to avoid Justin Timberlake these days, and not just because he's neck-deep in an obligatory promotional blitz for his new movie, 'Friends With Benefits.' The singer/actor/'Saturday Night Live' guest star extraordinaire is also hamming it up in an extraordinarily unfunny spot for Capital One, 'I Love Sports.' Justin Timberlake in 'I Love Sports' It turns out funny or even watchable isn't a requirement for Mr. Timberlake, who dominated the Viral Chart last week with 2.7 million views, and crushing the very funny and totally watchable Kenny Powers (played by actor Danny McBride), who has supposedly just taken over as the MFCEO of K-Swiss. (Too bad Kenny couldn't just fire Mr. Timberlake, since he's so busy changing the sports world, as well as the 'world-world.') Mr. Timberlake is still as close as it comes to a sure thing in video -- and I'm not just talking about his 'SNL' digital shorts, including 'Dick in a Box' with Andy Samberg, which to date have earned more than 53 million views. He has never made an appearance on the viral chart before, but his 'The Celebrity Experts' series with Peyton Manning for Sony has earned more than 3 million views to date." (AdAge)