Hiya, folks. As you may have noticed, ePluribus Media is doing some updates. These updates are both internal and external -- some you'll see, others will happen behind the scenes.

As with all such efforts, your feedback and contributions are always appreciated; please feel free to sprinkle a few in the comments.

Upcoming on ePluribus Media in terms of content is a review of Public Journalism 2.0: The Promise and Reality of a Citizen-Engaged Press, edited by Jack Rosenberry and Burton St. John III. Our own Aaron Barlow contributed to it (he wrote Chapter 5), and I was fortunate enough to be quoted. The topic is both relevant and timely, coming shortly on the heels of news regarding how Susie Dow's Iraq, Contingency Contracting and the Defense Base Act started a series of events that culminated in the Department of Labor finally recognizing the benefits claim of the Kirk von Ackermann's family -- six long years after Kirk disappeared in Iraq, in what the Army CID determined was a clear-cut case of abduction and murder. Kudos again, Susie, and our thanks for your dogged pursuit of justice.

I'll be posting my review of Public Journalism 2.0 in the next day or two. Keep an eye out for it.

Other things are happening -- some still in the planning stages but moving forward. More on all this later. In the meantime, have a great weekend.

The Thanksgiving holiday in the US has now ended; if you celebrated it with family, friends or in solo form, let us know how it went. (We live vicariously through the experiences of others.)

In terms of interesting news that occurred over the holidays, apparently Dubai World is in danger of defaulting on a $60 billion in loan repayments (hat-tip Jimdotz @ DailyKos):

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Just a year after the global downturn derailed Dubai's explosive growth, the city is now so swamped in debt that it's asking for a six-month reprieve on paying its bills — causing a drop on world markets Thursday and raising questions about Dubai's reputation as a magnet for international investment.

The fallout came swiftly and was felt globally after Wednesday's statement that Dubai's main development engine, Dubai World, would ask creditors for a "standstill" on paying back its $60 billion debt until at least May.

This, of course, is not something the financial sector would give thanks for, as it gives the term "Black Friday" a more ominous shade of meaning (hat-tip Moby for the analogy).

[Update: For more information and a useful update about why this isn't a reason to panic, go here.]

In other news,

• In Space (where no one can hear you scream1, 2), China readies a second lunar mission and may be ready for a manned mission by 2017, while NASA finds new evidence for life on Mars
• Sustainably speaking, living buildings could help clean up the atmosphere according to Dr Rachel Armstrong of UC Barkley in London
• For computer enthusiasts, DRAM prices have fallen -- now might be a good time to increase memory in your computers if they aren't already maxed out, and a Japanese firm has launched a new product -- a dual-screen notebook that weighs in at 1.84 Kg and has about 4.5 hrs o battery life
• On the home front, a man shot four relatives at a Florida holiday party and a manhunt is underway way, while on the foreign affairs front Iran has been censured by the UN's nuclear watchdog agency for being less than forthcoming with more information about their nuclear program.

That's it for now. What's eating you?

I'm very pleased to announce a new blog from Artlyn Entertainment which will be as much fun to do as it will be for readers to enjoy.

I've been thinking about doing another blog in the format of Bitchy Old Queen (BOQ) but hadn't quite figured out in what context or direction to develope a new blog.

A couple of things are stuck in my craw at the moment:

Doesn't Track...

Dunno about anyone else, but the alleged message from Osama Bin Laden this past June doesn't track for me:

__________

In his latest message in June, bin Laden said U.S. President Barack Obama had planted the seeds of "revenge and hatred" toward the United States in the Muslim world.
__________

That seems too...Cheney-esque, as if in response to a Bush message.

Anybody else finding that to be a bit "weird"? Kinda wingnutty-flavored, imo...

Feeding the Hungry

__________

Food stamp list soars past 35 million: USDA

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 35 million Americans received food stamps in June, up 22 percent from June 2008 and a new record as the country continued to grapple with the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
__________

Yes, another gift that keeps on giving -- the fruitful bounty of a collapsed economy, courtesy of 8 years of Republican "compassionate conservative" 'leadership' and fiscal goodness.

Thanks, folks. We appreciate how strongly you like to drive home the point that you're only "in it to win it" and don't give an actual damn about the nation or our people, so -- while we're thinking about it -- could you now kindly shut the hell up and stop messing with the healthcare debate?

I know quite a few people who are in dire need of a strong public option, and you sidewinders are lying, cheating and fomenting violence & discord simply to prevent a viable reform from happening.Get the hell out of the way -- your ideas have damaging our nation for too long. You lost the election by a wide margin, and the rest of America gave the incoming party a new mandate: Pay attention and take care of the nation and her people, or we'll kick you to the curb like your predecessors.

That's the extemely short Extreme Short List. There's waaaay to much to simply start listing them out.

Happy Saturday, folks. (ed. -- heh, oops. Friday. -- GH)

Here's an early-evening sweep of some basic news items circulating the internets at this time, courtesy of a jaunt through Google News:

News from China about Stateside salmonella outbreaks:

Salmonella outbreak sickens at least nine in two US states -- Xinhuanet

Financial and Political news:

US Bank Failures Rise to 72 With Collapses in Florida, Oregon -- Bloomberg

US Cuts Less Jobs Than Forecast -- NY Times

Clinton and South African Discuss Somalia and Sudan -- NY Times

GOP's Martinez says he'll leave Senate early -- Boston Globe

Black Hole:

Particle Collider: Black Hole or Crucial Machine? -- ABC News

These are for the birds:

Of rooks and rocks: Birds live up to their fabled reputation -- LA Times

and

Clever rooks repeat ancient fable -- BBC News

On the Global Climate Change side,

Glacier melt accelerating, federal report concludes -- Los Angeles Times

And that's the news.

It's a sad fact but Michael Jackson's death boosted The LGBT Newscenter's readership to over 500 on Thursday creating the highest one day readership since readership tracking of the site was started a week ago.

With the live CBS News feed featuring coverage from KCBS-TV and then late in the evening another Los Angeles TV station, it provided LGBT Internet users non-stop television coverage for several hours of the sad breaking news of Jackson's death.

A special West Coast edition of The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric was also streamed live.

Also on The LGBT Newscent