The New Media Diva

Via Ground Report:

The British overseas security service has recently been using social networking site Facebook to assist in its recruitment drive.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman emphasized the need for MI6 to build up its network of agents.

“The open recruitment campaign continues to target wide pools of talent representative of British society today,” she said.

“A number of channels are used to promote job opportunities in the organization. Facebook is a recent example.”

You’re a dead ringer for Pierce or Daniel? Head on over here. (You’ll need to log into Facebook).

I’ve spent the morning reading reviews of VP nominee Sarah Palin’s disastrous interview with CBS’ Katie Couric.

I won’t go into the specifics of the interview, they’re all over the net.

Most of the reviews focus on the horrible job Palin did of explaining an earlier comment about her foreign policy experience coming from governing a state close to Russia:

“It’s very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia as Putin rears his head and comes into the airspace of the United States of America. Where—where do they go? It’s Alaska. It’s just right over the border. It is from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right there. They are right next to—to our state.”

Sounds like some pop-quiz ramblings, right? But let’s face it: The average American, myself included, probably couldn’t do any better when answering that question.

(Actually, I could. But that’s because of my job: If I didn’t have the gig I have, there’s a chance I’d probably ramble the same way. But wait: Perhaps an innate interest in politics and IR is what led me to the gig?)

Perhaps its the curse of the eight-grade reading level syndrome. (Note to self: Purchase The Vanishing Newspaper by Phillip Meyer.)

And that’s why Americans will pull the lever, not for McCain, but for Palin. It’s the “She’s just like me” factor.

Sad, but true.

I remember during the last presidential election, a friend gave me a tongue lashing over the phone about not backing Bush. (She said I’d been in Europe too long:-)). “I want a president that I’d feel good having as a next-door neighbor,” she said.

I predict that quite a few people will have that same view on Election Day. Why would anyone want an intelligent, educated, uppity liberal for president, when they could have someone who allows them to say, “Well, shoot, she’s just as clueless as I am and *she’s* the VP candidate! Heh, I can’t be all that bad!”

With each story focusing on Palin’s obvious lack of knowledge of any issues even slightly pertinent to being a heartbeat away from the presidency, a brick is placed in her Yellow Brick Road to the White House. It’s happening silently. Remember, the average American doesn’t frequent Alternet, DailyKos or the HuffPost. The views you see on those sites come from particular factions, right and left, who have the time to argue.

Palin makes non-tech-savvy, non-politically- or foreign affairs-aware Americans feel good about themselves.

And they’ll take that feeling into the voting booth on 4 November.

Image: asecondhandconjecture on flickr.

Look what came in the mail yesterday:

I hope it gets counted.

From Fortune mag: 50 cent and Robert Greene have co-authored The 50th Law, a book on business and self-marketing featuring “Fiddy’s” financial words of wisdom. It’s scheduled to be released in November. Greene on 50:

“He gives a new definition of fearlessness. He is willing to take risks and create his own circumstances. He’s like Talleyrand or Napoleon.”

(snip)

“50’s a marketing genius. I call him the P.T. Barnum of our era. He created an extremely strong and compelling image, and he went as far to the edge as he could go in corporate America with his violence, with his thuggishness - all of which has great marketing power for young males.”

Of course, 50 had to get a dig in while discussing forgoing the traditional business path of artists releasing an album, disappearing and reinventing themselves:

“Other artists, like say, Ja Rule went away and did that. But I stayed consistently in front of the actual audience with new material, generating new interest - and he never made it back.”

By the way Greene wrote The 48 Laws of Power. Wait. We’ve got 1-48 and 50. Where’s 49?

Tried to amend an address entry at amazon.de. According to the site, Switzerland isn’t a valid country.

(Stifles laugh).