Prosecutorial TMI

I feel for this guy... The Smoking Gun reports that a spokesperson in US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald's office made a "remarkable screw-up" when he emailed reporters a copy of a criminal complaint, accidentally including the names of confidential witnesses.

In announcing felony charges against two men for their roles in an alleged $15 million Ponziesque swindle, the spokesman for Chicago U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald (he of Rod Blagojevich- and Scooter Libby-prosecuting fame) e-mailed reporters a 62-page U.S. District Court complaint filed against John Walsh and Charles Martin, principals of the now-defunct One World Capital Group. Included in the document was a one-page key that identified by name sources referred to in the complaint only by monikers such as "Employee A," "Customer D," or "Individual F."

The sender reportedly realized his mistake -- and sent an urgent note asking journalists to destroy the complaint. SG posts the list of names, blurred of course.

-- Scott Cameron

Tags: Patrick Fitzgerald | The Smoking Gun | email | regret

12:54 PM ET | permalink

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January 8th Show

In our first hour today, we'll talk about the future of the web with Clay Shirky. Shirky keeps his eye on social and economic trends on the web and will explain what social networking, crowdsourcing and tweeting could all mean for the future of the web. Shirky's latest book is entitled, "Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing without Organization". Then, we'll talk to a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle about rioting in Oakland, California over the fatal shooting of an unarmed man by a BART police officer.

Leon Panetta has recently been selected as President-elect Obama's choice as CIA director, and some say Panetta may not have the credentials to meet the challenges of entering the agency at such a difficult time. In our second hour, intelligence experts look at Leon Panetta's appointment and the challenges facing the agency. Following that, travel writer Rick Steves will share his experience as a tourist in Iran.

-- Gwen Outen

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Is Your Spidey Sense Tingling?

He can sling webs, but can he dance?

Source: cbcastro

Well, it should be. I officially had my mind blown this morning. Poking around the interwebs for story ideas, I found news that a new Spiderman musical is possibly coming to Broadway this year. Ok, next! But wait. Music by U2! Julie Taymor will direct! From the breathless writeup in The Sun:

Speaking for the first time about the project, guitar lord The Edge has revealed: "It is happening. We've written a lot of the songs at this point. "It's in a pretty good state, and I hope it'll open this year. We're not sure where in the world, but most likely it will be in New York."

Now that's interesting! I dug deeper, lest I fall fall for some sort of bizarro tabloid "news." But Wired had it in the fall, so I think it's OK for me to be completely pumped about this final quote from The Edge. He said the show won't have a full orchestra -- it'll still have a small cohort of traditional orchestra players, but "the core will be a rock 'n' roll band." Sweet!

-- Sarah Handel

Tags: Spiderman | U2 | musical

9:41 AM ET | permalink

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Neal's Infamous Karaoke Credits

Regret and vacation time don't often go together, but I was bummed to find out I missed Neal's New Year's Eve karaoke credits. Yes, I said karaoke credits. I was out all week, the office was largely empty -- and apparently giddy -- and director Gwen managed to cajole America's favorite talk show host into singing credits to the tune of "King of the Road." Not exactly Roger Miller, but if you missed the performance, here it is:

-- Scott Cameron

Tags: Neal Conan | karaoke credits

11:58 AM ET | permalink

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January 7th Show

In our first political junkie segment in the new year, Ken Rudin runs down the political news of the week, including Bill Richardson withdrawing his nomination as Commerce secretary, Obama's pick to head the CIA, Roland Burris-- in or out of the US Senate seat from Illinois, Al Franken declared the victor in the Minnesota recount... and it still ain't over. And of course Ken will have a trivia question for you. Then, Harry Shearer, best known as the voice for Mr. Burns and Ned Flanders on The Simpsons, will talk about catching politicians on silent video moments before they go before a live broadcast.

In our second hour, we'll break down the ethics of political favors. "You vote for my issue, I'll back yours." That type of thing. We'll talk with EbonyJet.com writer Eric Easter about how some favors cross the line. His article for the website is entitled, "Are We All Corrupt?" And we want to hear from you. Have you ever asked, or been asked for a favor that you thought crossed into a grey area? Then, we'll discuss a New York Times report that includes details given by India's dossier of how the terror attack on Mumbai was planned, mounted, and directed from inside Pakistan.

-- Gwen Outen

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Nostalgia-Tube

Ah, nostalgia... check out this delicious happy-sad mix brought to you by the letter K(ottke).

A couple years ago, Sarah reminded me of one of my favorite old CTW memories -- the wonderfully terrifying "Milk" episode of Sesame Street, another gem she found on YouTube. I'm dying to be reminded of any other favorites from that fuzzily magic TV time...

-- Barrie Hardymon

Tags: 3-2-1 Contact | Children's Television Workshop | Mister Rogers

9:49 AM ET | permalink

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I Miss CES

I don't get to go to the Consumer Electronics Show this year, but I'm trying to follow the reporting. And this year is different. The economy is in the tank, people are spending less, and gadget makers are paring down displays and getting back to basics with many gizmos. Here's a little light reading...

NPR: Recession May Affect How Gadgets Pitched At Expo

Going in, the recession is the No. 1 worry, but consumer electronics is a retail industry that is in better shape than many others. The reason, marketers say, is called nesting. When the economy is bad, people want to stay home to be entertained by their electronics.

BBC: Tech show bucks global downturn

Big themes for the show included a big focus on mobile video, location services via handsets as well as net access and broadcast technologies for cars.

WIRED: Cheap Thrills: Gadget Makers Bet on Budget Gear in 2009

A few titanic, feature-heavy SLRs (Exhibit A: Canon 5D Mark II) will sail through CES but so will a fleet of thrifty shooters that anchor cheap thrills by way of thoughtful touches. Look for small shooters that incorporate printers, Wi-Fi, and web browsers.

-- Scott Cameron

Tags: consumer electronics show | economy | gadgets

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The Voice

Bad news in the world of independent media. Or semi-independent media. Or once-was-independent media.

Romenesko reports that the salaries of bosses at Village Voice Media have been cut by 15 percent. That news comes on the heels of another announcement, that long-time columnist Nat Hentoff -- and two other employees -- got the ax.

This whole industry is suffering, trimming jobs, looking to -- or wincing at? -- an uncertain future. When things get dismal, it helps to reminisce. If you've got a few minutes to spare, read this piece -- or as much of it as the gatekeepers at newyorker.com will allow -- by Louis Menand, on the storied history of the Village Voice.

-- David Gura

Tags: Louis Menand | Nat Hentoff | Village Voice | journalism

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Bruce Lee Museum

Really?

-- David Gura

Tags: Bruce Lee | martial arts | museum

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Happy Birthday, J.D.!

There's a joke around here, usually told by Neal, whenever we want to book a hard-to-get guest: "And while you're at it, why don't you go after J.D. Salinger?"

We've been unsuccessful so far.

The reclusive author of The Catcher in the Rye turned 90 on New Year's Day. How did he celebrate? With cake in his cabin, in Cornish, New Hampshire? Who knows?

In The Guardian, Nicolaus Mills, who teaches English at Sarah Lawrence College, muses on Salinger's literary legacy: "If we want to put Salinger in historical context we need to think of him like Ernest Hemingway -- an American writer who was profoundly changed by war." Mills points to his short stories, which he says are too-often overshadowed by Catcher.

Some-58 years after Salinger's first novel was published, what do you think of the author and his oeuvre? Have you read his short stories? How has his work affected you?

-- David Gura

Tags: J.D. Salinger | birthdays | literature

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January 6th Show

Hello everyone! Gwen's hard at work on our second hour show -- more on that in a moment -- so here's what you can expect on Talk of the Nation today.

In our first hour, Israel. The U.S. government has long had a policy of supporting Israel to the tune of about three billion dollars a year in military aid. Those are dollars on top of considerable political and diplomatic support. So, we'll have Stephen Walt and Aaron David Miller on to opine on what sort of influence that translates into, and how the U.S. should use it. We'll follow that discussion with something altogether different: Who owns that recipe? I read recently about a dispute between a food blogger and America's Test Kitchen over a recipe the blogger revamped then posted on her website. America's Test Kitchen asked her to take it down, prompting our conversation on the ethics and legality of printing and sharing recipes. When do you get to call a recipe your own? Strike that! Turns out the dispute may not have gone down how we thought. Still an interesting issue, but we're working on something else instead. Stay tuned!

In our second hour, sit back and just listen. We're celebrating the 70th birthday of Blue Note Records, with three fantastic guests -- Bruce Lundvall, Blue Note's current president; jazz historian and archivist Michael Cuscuna; and Blue Note musician Bill Charlap. They'll regale us with stories and insight, and we'll also hear plenty of the label's amazing releases. Enjoy!

-- Sarah Handel

Tags: Blue Note Records | Israel | foreign policy | jazz

11:42 AM ET | permalink

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Eat More Socks

New year, new pyramid.

Source: Copyright (c) 2008 Harvard University.

 

New Year, old resolutions. Found this pyramid from the Harvard School of Public Health, and couldn't help but notice it looks awfully different than the one I remembered from my youth. My actual pyramid has an awful lot of string cheese at the bottom, I gotta be honest. But what cracks me up about this one -- helpful as it no doubt is -- is that it sort of looks like socks are the main component of a healthy diet. Well, they do have a lot of fiber...

-- Barrie Hardymon

Tags: New Years resolutions | food pyramid

11:28 AM ET | permalink

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Cute Things Falling Asleep

It feels like we haven't had a sunny day around here in months. It can't be just my inability to go to bed early that makes it so hard to get up in the morning -- I blame the fact that it's dark till 7am, and for the past bazillion unsunny days, it's dark all day. Misery loves company, so I present to you Cute Things Falling Asleep.

That's "Sleepy Kitty 10," rated on scale of 1-5, 4 for cuteness and 3 for sleepiness by site creator Nick Malis. Whether you've got seasonal affective disorder or simple malaise, that's just got to make things a little better.

-- Sarah Handel

Tags: babies | cute things falling asleep | kittens | otters | puppies | sleep

8:51 AM ET | permalink

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Stressed Today?

The survey was done, the results are in... "Today is the most stressful day of the year." Why?

A combination of the cold weather, economic gloom and end to Christmas festivities will leave workers battling the January blues. It will leave people more likely to become irritated by the slightest things. According to researchers the most common complaints are the sounds of colleagues eating noisily, which annoys nearly a quarter of people. This is followed by sniffing, an irritant to 26 per cent and talking too loudly on the phone, which was cited by 21 per cent.

Ok, so it's not the most scientific poll, but if you were on vacation for the last week or so (like me), and are back in the cubicle for the first time today it rings true. One bit of career advice, though: the article mentions "releasing tensions through shouting and screaming." You might want to wait till you get home.

-- Scott Cameron

Tags: stress | workplace

3:49 PM ET | permalink

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What's Your 99 Cent Fantasy?

A delicious deal.

Source: Matt Cardy/Getty Images

A pub chain in Britain has announced "indefinite" reductions on beer, wine and spirits -- to 99p. I highly recommend you read the article in its entirety, as it includes a competitor using expressions like "bloody nose" to describe the imminent price war. Of course, with 99p beers, there may be an actual bloody nose somewhere along the way. It made me think what recession pricing would really get me stoked? 99 cent coffee? Hot dogs? Movies?

-- Barrie Hardymon

Tags: beer | recession

12:57 PM ET | permalink

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