This Modern World

Allen & Co. Gets Equity in Cartoon Doll Emporium
Cartoon Doll Emporium, an online avatar creation and gaming network for tween girls, announced that Allen & Company LLC has acquired a minority equity interest in its company. Details of the deal were not disclosed.
This is pitiful.  Allen & Co. could be spearheading the progressive media revolution.  Instead, it’s investing in the digital equivalent of paper dolls.

Suggestions for ‘President’ Cheney’s to-do list.
The National Review posted its favorite suggestions for what Dick Cheney should do during his three hours as acting President while Bush is under anesthesia for his colonoscopy [on Saturday]: Bomb Iran. Commute the sentences of those border agents. Fire Mike Chertoff. Tell Harry Reid to … well, you know… Pardon Scooter.

Lie detector: Daily Show: Bush’s Fuzzy al Qaeda Math
Jon takes a look back at all the “progress” President Bush says we’ve made against al Qaeda. Unfortunately for Bush, his own intelligence community vehemently disagrees.
Click through to watch the video.

Bill O’Reilly cites Fred Phelps as his example of Right wing hate for “balance”
After O’Reilly bashed Kos again, he said he would expose an example of Right Wing haters… Would it be Malkin, Savage, Stormfront, or maybe Little Green Footballs? Nope, it was the insane Fred Phelps of the WBC, a nut who stages protests at our fallen solder’s funerals… and death to gays. While Phelps is a hater, Bill knows all too well what’s he’s doing and is a true—major league propagandist. Phelps just so happened to criticize O’Reilly by the way.
Click through to watch the video.

Globe’s Bailey pleads guilty to offending “loony gun lobby”
A pro-gun group wants Boston Globe columnist Steve Bailey fired for a column-related gun purchase made nearly two years ago. “Consider this my confession. I plead guilty to offending the loony gun lobby,” he writes. “Count me as a proud member of the gun lobby’s hit list.”

Fewer reporters at statehouses mean fewer stones turned
What does it mean for state political coverage when good reporters leave? “What is the impact on democracy? That’s the real question,” says Los Angeles Times Sacramento bureau chief Virginia Ellis. “There’s an important function that doesn’t provide any revenue, and that’s the watchdog function. When newspapers go away, it’s not just the stories they generate. It’s the people in government who should fear exposure about their governing, and what effect the paper has on their behavior.”

Firm that forced Knight Ridder sale sheds newspaper shares
The aggressive selling by Florida-based Private Capital Management is one of the reasons that newspaper stocks have lost some $15 billion in value since 2004, says analyst Paul Ginocchio. Alan Mutter writes: “PCM at one time owned nearly a quarter of the stock of such companies as Belo, Lee Enterprises and McClatchy Newspapers. Today, those positions have been reduced by more than half.”

Senate Democrats Foil Attempt To Bar ‘Fairness Doctrine’
Senate Democrats [Thursday] night beat back a Republican attempt to attach an anti-Fairness Doctrine bill as an amendment to education legislation.

NABJ Says Keep Imus Off The Air
As speculation mounts that Don Imus will return to the airwaves after his ouster in April for racist and sexist remarks, the National Association of Black Journalists, the first organization to call for his removal three months ago, says no way.

NBC Correspondent Received $30K For Speech Attacking Sen. Edwards
NBC chief Pentagon correspondent Jim Miklaszewski took $30,000 from the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce to address its Business EXPO 2007. During his talk, Miklaszewski attacked a prominent presidential candidate.

Ask.com to be the First Major Search Engine to Offer Complete Privacy Options
Ask.com is preparing to launch a new service called AskEraser, which is a a privacy settings option that ensures that no search records will be retained by the company. This will make Ask.com the first major search engine to offer such a high level of privacy options for users.