xt77m03xwg6t https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt77m03xwg6t/data/mets.xml The Kentucky Kernel Kentucky -- Lexington The Kentucky Kernel 2006-03-24 Earlier Titles: Idea of University of Kentucky, The State College Cadet newspapers  English   Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. The Kentucky Kernel  The Kentucky Kernel, March 24, 2006 text The Kentucky Kernel, March 24, 2006 2006 2006-03-24 2020 true xt77m03xwg6t section xt77m03xwg6t a: _
3 PO RTS Still down about the Cats? Look for the positives in the school's smaller blossoming sports BACK PAGE

THE

 

entucky Kernel

Friday, March 24, 2006

Task force
prepares
questions

Questions will seek faculty input
on issue of racial atmosphere

By Dariush Shala
THE KENTUCKY KERNEL

UK’s Task Force on Racial Diversity
and Equality is currently reviewing a
draft of a list of questions and hopes to
use these to interview‘black faculty next
month to gather information on the uni-

versity’s racial climate.
The task force.
which was organized by

Premyfijow in
Dec r, as been
meeting every two
weeks and organizing
planhfi on“ how to im-
prove diversity.

“The bottom issue is
how does the environ-
ment feel here?" said
William Turner, associ-
ate provost for multicul—
tural affairs, vice presi-
dent of university en-
gagement and task force
chairman.

Turner said the in-
terviews would best be
ment feeI done before the end of
u the spring semester.
here? “I'm looking at the

month of April because

William most people are going to

Turner be gone for the sum-

task force chair Trier.u Turner said.

The questions.

which will be asked in

one-on-one interviews with black facul-

ty. are intended to gauge how UK is do-
ing in terms of diversity.

One concern is how to phrase the
questions for maximum effectiveness.

“I think (an issue) is going to come
out. I'm just not sure it‘s going to be be-
cause we goaded it out." said Phil Krae-
mer. associate provost for undergradu-
ate education. “There may be some hesi<
tation to respond to that opportunity (to
talk) because it‘s not frank."

The task force is also considering
looking into a cross-campus look into
where black faculty are most concentrat-
ed.

“We need a picture of where UK is in
terms of their faculty members." Turn-
er said. “where people are and where
people aren‘t.“

The main goal is to hear the con-
cerns and the issues.

I think we need to focus mostly on
people‘s perceptions of how UK is to-
day." said Roger Sugarman. director of
Institutional Research.

Part of that will involve getting a
historical look over the last 15 years to
find out what UK has done in the past
and how this has worked.

“I don‘t think institutional racism is
found at a certain data point." said Russ
Williams, staff representative to the
Board of Trustees. “It's found over
time."

He also said it’s urgent to get this in-
formation so that necessary changes can
be made as soon as possible.

See Diversity on page 2

tonnissue
ishow
doesthe
envhon-

 

 

Celebrating 35 years of independence

 

 

mun I sun

Jerry Ragland, center, takes questions after the Kentucky Supreme Court heard an appeal involving his son, Shane, in 2005.
Shane was convicted of the 1994 murder of UK football player Trent DiGiuro, but the court overturned the conviction and

ordered a new trial yesterday.

Ky. high court orders
retrial for Ragland

Latest twist in 1994 murder of UK football player Trent DiGiuro

By Tim Wiseman
THE KENTUCKY KERNEL

Twelve years after the mur-
der of a UK football player. and
four years after a man was con-
victed of the crime. the case is
about to start all over again.

In a 52 decision released yes
terday. the Kentucky Supreme
Court overturned the conviction
of Shane Ragland for the murder
of former UK offensive lineman
Trent DiGiuro and granted a
new trial. ruling that bullet tests
used to connect Ragland to the
crime were inadmissible.

The tests ~ called compara-
tive lead bullet analysis , , were
used by the prosecution in the
trial to link bullets recovered
from the crime scene to ammuni-
tion found at the two homes of
Ragland‘s divorced parents. In
September 2005. the FBI, which
was the only agency administer-
ing the tests. announced it would
no longer do so after a National
Research Council study showed
the test to be inconclusive.

In addition. testimony of-

fered by the forensic scientist
who performed the tests for the
prosecution in this case proved
to be false.

“We conclude that the admis—
sion of the CLBA test results and
the expert’s opinions
about those results re- H '
quire reversal for a 't JUSt
new trial."
William Cooper wrote

in the majority opin- whole com" This

ion. one of four opin- .
ions written by the plQXIOfl
court. ,,
The case will be C359-
sent to Fayette County
Circuit Court for a new
trial. There is a 20-day
period for attorneys to
ask the court to recon-
sider the decision.
Commonwealth Attorney Ray
Larson, who represented the
DiGiuro family at the original
trial. has scheduled a news con-
ference for 9:30 this morning.

It was the second time
Ragland's defense had asked the
court to overturn the conviction.

TIMELINE I The Trent DiGiuro Case

Justice changed the

In November 2004. the court
granted him a new trial on the
grounds that a prosecutor violat-
ed his constitutional rights by
commenting on Ragland’s deci-
sion not to testify. But after Ken-
tucky Attorney Gener-
al Greg Stumbo peti-
tioned the decision,
the court decided to re—
visit it.
time. the
court was divided 3-3.
0f the with one justice abe
staining, on that issue.
A tie means the lower
court's ruling stands.

GUthrie True but the court still
attorney for Shane Ragland granted a new trial
on the court‘s decrston based on the COHiI‘O‘

versy surrounding the
forensic test.
Ragland's attorney Guthrie
True said he was "thrilled"
about the ruling.

"This is just real significant
development. because this so-
called bullet lead test what I feel
was a real lynchpin for their

See Ragland on page 2

 

UK football player Trent
DiGiuro is killed in a
sniper-style shooting as
he sits on his porch on
Woodland Avenue.

Aimee Lloyd, Shane
Ragland's ex-girlfriend,
tells police Ragland
confessed to her in 1995
that he killed DiGiuro.

in prison.

Shane Ragland is con-
victed of the murder of
DiGiuro and sentenced a
month later to 30 years

The Kentucky Supreme
Court orders a new trial
because of a lack of reli-
ability in a forensic test

used in the case.

 

Blink

 

www.kykernel.com

SG senator
meets with
Ky. senator

56 presidential hopeful
Bates talks about funds

By Sean Rose
THE KENTUCKY KERNEL

Student Government Sena-
tor and presidential candidate
Andy Bates spent about three
hours in Frankfort yesterday
discussing student issues with
a senator to "foster relation-
ships with our lawmakers."

Bates met with Sen. David
E. Boswell. D-Owensboro. one
of the repre—
sentatives FYI
from Bates’
hometown.

Bates said
meeting one— I March 29-30
on-one with
legislators I SeeWednesday's
was more of Kernel for complete
fective in election preview
pushing stu-
dent issues
than other methods currently
used by SG such as rallies.

“An annual protest in
Frankfort doesn‘t magically
produce funding." Bates said.
“Personally. I think the biggest
problem with securing top-20
funding is that legislators
aren‘t thoroughly aware of the
problem and SG hasn‘t done
enough to show them what the
problem is." referring to UK re-
ceiving less funds than re-
quested and the rising cost of
tuition.

One of the senators on
Bates' ticket was in Frankfort
as well. Robert Kahne. a politi-
cal science and economics
freshman. said what started as
a lobbying session ended as a
discussion with Boswell on
how 80 could play a role in se-
curing top»20 funding.

“Senator Boswell was really
supportive of everything we
had to say." Kahne said. “It
kind of turned into a question
and answer session."

Bates and Kahne both said
Boswell encouraged SG repre-
sentatives to meet with legisla-
tors to play a greater role state
government with regard to UK.

With the only days left in
the current legislative session.
Kahne said there was nothing
they could do to invoke change
for this next year. but was opti-
mistic about the fixture.

"There isn‘t anything we
can do in this current session."
Kahne said. “This really gives
us footing for next year.

“That's part of our biggest
mission is to be a familiar face
in Frankfort." he said.

If elected. Bates said be en-
visioned weekly trips to Frank-
fort to meet with other legisla-

See Talk on page 2

I 50 election

Director seeking local talent for film

By Chris Collins
tHc KENTUCKY KERNEL

Next Thursday will be a chance for
many in Lexington to star in a feature
film directed by an upand coming talent.
and UK alumnus. who has worked on
blockbuster films and hit TV shows.

Craig Miller plans to start filming the
movie in May and will be holding audi-
tions late next week. The auditions will
be for speaking parts and extras.

The movie, entitled “Blink." will start
shooting in Lexington in May and is
about a group of 20somethings who.
while spending a night in a bar. realize
that their life isn't what they thought it
would be.

“This movie is about that quarterslife
crises that has hit everyone I know You
know. people think that they‘re going to
have 2.5 kids. drive a nice car and have a
good job and it doesn‘t always happen
that way.” he said. “And although we're
shooting in the south. 95 percent of the
movie takes place in a bar which will

make it easier for anyone in any part of
the country to relate to."

Although successful at what he does.
Miller himself experienced a similar real-
ization when he first moved to Los Ange-
les and wanted to hit the ground running
in film and begin working right away.

“You want to get to the top of the heap
as soon as possible and LA. isn't that
kind of town. I was fortunate that I began
working as soon as I did." Miller said.

Miller plans on the movie being a gen-
erational film. one that hasn‘t been made
for his particular generation.

“We‘re the in-between generation.
were too young to be Generation X and
were too old for generation Y." Miller
said. “Reality Bites' was for the ‘805 and
‘Swingers‘ started the whole club scene
that featured a lot of swing hands. This
movie will feature a lot of independent
bands and will speak specifically to the
our generation."

Miller grew up in Louisville and en-
rolled at UK in 1996. After graduating in
2000. Miller enrolled at Florida State and

FYI

I Casting call for "Blink"
I When: 8 to 11 pm. March 30-31 for extras
I Where: Gambino's at 124 W. Maxwell St.

spent two years there learning the physi-
cal process of making films.

“I was a huge Seminoles football fan
and Florida State is in the top five film
schools in the country. yet I didn‘t see one
football game because you‘re working
twenty hours a day making films." Miller
said. “At Florida State you cram four
years of schooling into two."

Since graduating from Florida State
Miller. has worked on TV series like “081:
Miami“ and major blockbusters like
Steven Spielberg‘s “War of the Worlds.“
where he worked as second assistant di-
rector for the film‘s second unit.

“As assistant director you’re making

See m on page 2

mar-ms

 

    
 
   
    
    
 
  
 
 
  
   
 
   
  
   
   
  
 
  
   
    
 
  
  
   
  
 

msz | Friday. March 24, 2006

 

 

By Keith Brooks
m: mtucxv mm

Is the theory of intelligent design right.
or is evolution?

The audience picked sides last night in
Memorial Hall last night as both theories
were discussed during a debate entitled “The
Scientific Status of Intelligent Design.”

The event marked the second part of the
“Theoretical Thursdays" series hosted by the
Student Activities Board.

Buck Ryan, a journalism professor at the
University of Kentucky moderated the de-
bate, which brought a host 6f students, pro-
fessors and members of academia interested
in hearing the discussion.

William Dembski, a senior fellow of the
Discovery Institute for Science and Culture
was the proponent for intelligent design.
Dembski, a professor of science and theology
at the Southern Seminary in Louisville, said
natural selection is the invisible hand that
crafts well-wrought forms, but questioned the
legitimacy of Darwin’s legacy, using an “-un
signed promissory note” as an analogy

“The point is that natural selection is
thinking ahead. It’s just saying ‘What will
benefit me now?”

The opponent was Michael Shermer,
founder of Skeptics Magazine and director of
the Skeptics Society. Shermer took a light-
hearted approach with the material, using
several references to pop culture in his expla-

re

 

“We're confronted

with a theory that is

coming up empty
William Dembski

professor at science and theology
at Southern Seminary in Louisville, on evolution

 

nations.

“If you combine an atheist and a Jeho-
vah’s Witness and have them knocking at
your door, you’ll know nothing at all,” he
joked with the audience.

The definition of intelligent design is “the
study of patterns and nature that are best ex-
plained as the result of intelligence,” Dembs-
ki said. He said what caused the initial specuo
lation of intelligent design is the detection of
a highly complex event, contingency and
specification.

“We’re confronted with a theory that is
coming up empty,” Dembski said about evolu-
tion. “We’re talking about a global discipli-
nary problem here.”

Shermer took a different approach.

“How does (intelligent design) explain
vestigial structures such as the male nipples
or the human appendix?” Shermer asked the
crowd. “Why the human tailbone, why the

"How does intelligent
design explain vesti-
gial structures?"

Michael Shermer
publisher of Skeptics Magazine.
defending evolution

 

human teeth?’

Shermer went on to talk about a major
reason that explains why people cling to reli-
gion as a source for explanation, which he
called, “The God of the Gaps.”

“It’s not that science doesn’t allow super-
natural explanations, it’s just that there’s
nothing to do with them," he said.

Shermer also said intelligent design was
not simply an elimination of necessity and
change and that intelligent design would re-
quire a "maker” of the “maker.”

“Where do you stop the causal sequence?”
he asked.

Tyler Porter, a mechanical engineering
junior, asked if there were more evidence for
evolution than intelligent design.

“Intelligent design has no problem with
evolution," said Dembski. “Evolution always
works as a divide and conquer — it’s always
going to simplify the problem,” he said.

Debate examlnes intelllgent dSlH

“Michael has not referred to a particular way
of how this information has evolved.”

“The fact that there's questions (means)
that it's a healthy science, not a bad science,”
Shermer responded.

Dembski went on to say intelligent design
does not assume everything evolution has
concluded is accurate.

“It’s showing some aspects of intelligence
and natural forces can work together. It
seems that is what has happened in the histo
ry of life,” he said.

Nick Kirby, a first-year graduate student
in mathematics wondered whether or not the
mechanism for implementing intelligent de-
sign existed and whether that made the theo-
ry incomplete.

“You can play with all tons of thought ex-
periments,” said Dembski. “In a sense, what
intelligent design is saying is that there is an
incompleteness to the physical theory” Dem-
bski went on to say that Shermer offered a
“reductionist view of nature."

“How did it do it?” Shermer asked of in-
telligent design’s theory. “There’s no answer
at this moment."

“The question though, ultimately, is
where does the evidence point?” Dembski
said. “We’re early in the game. We’ll see.”

E-mail
features@1rykernel.com

 
  
   
  
 
  
  
   
   
  
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
   
    
   
   
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
  
   
    
  
   
 
  
   
  
   
  
 
 
    
 
 
  
 
  
 
   
   
 
  
  
   
 
   
 
  

 

Continued from page l

 

case," True said. “It just
changed the whole complex-
ion of the case.

“It is something that puts
the case in a whole new light,
one that is much more favor-
able to us.”

DiGiuro was shot in the
head and killed the night of
July 17, 1994. while sitting on
the porch during a party at
his home on Woodland Av-
enue, three days before his
let birthday.

Ragland, a UK graduate,
has been serving a 30-year
sentence for the murder.

Investigators waited five
years for a break in the case,
which came when Ragland’s
ex-girlfriend. Aimee Lloyd,
told investigators he con.
fessed shooting DiGiuro to
her in 1995.

She said Ragland shot
DiGiuro because the football
player had a role in keeping
Ragland out of UK’s chapter

of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon
fraternity.

Ragland was arrested in
July 2000 and then sentenced
in April 2002, after a grand
jury found him guilty of mur-
dering DiGiuro.

This new ruling means a
new trial is on the horizon,
but DiGiuro’s father, Mike,
said he is not giving up any-
time soon.

“It’s not like we can stop
the merry-go-round and get
off," he said in a press confer-
ence yesterday. “We’re com-
mitted to it.”

After the court heard this
appeal last November,
DiGiuro told The Kernel,
“Shane Ragland killed my
son."

Yesterday, DiGiuro said he
still feels the case against
Ragland is strong one, even
without the bullet tests.

“There was a lot of evi-
dence beside that bullet evi-
dence." he said.

“Every time I can‘t sleep
at night, Shane Ragland wins,
and I will be damned if I am
going to let that happen.”

Email
twisemanmkykernelcom

 

Film

Continued from page 1

 

decisions that might add up
to $250,000 a day. Your job is
basically to make sure all the
nuts and bolts are laid out so
the director can focus on
shooting the film.”

There are 34 speaking
parts and Miller urges any-
one interested to e-mail him
at castingru TwoBitFilmscom
with a picture or resume.

late to the role." he said. “We
don‘t ask people what their
majors are, you don’t even
have to be a student at UK."
Miller said.

The casting call for extras
will be held from 8 to 11 pm.
March 30 and 31 at Gambi-
no‘s, located at 124 W.
Maxwell St. The casting call
for speaking parts will be
held from 11 am. to 6 pm,
Friday March 31 and from 9
am. to 4 pm. on April 1 at
U.K.‘s Black Box Theater. 106

 

College Board admits more SAT scoring errors

By Lois Romano
m: msnmcrou Posr

WASHINGTON A School adminis-
trators were stunned Thursday by the
revelation from the College Board that
an additional 27,000 SAT tests from the
October exam had not been rescanned
for errors.

The announcement was the third
admission in two weeks by the testing
organization of potential errors and
underreported scores in the college en-
trance exam used by thousands of
schools. A spokesman for the New
York-based company said that the
largest error was a discrepancy of 450
points out of a potential 2,400. The to-
tal number of students who will have
higher scores resubmitted is 4,411.

“It's incomprehensible to me that
there have been three separate discov-
eries of scoring errors on the same
exam," said Gary Ross, dean of admis-
sions for Colgate University, which
was informed that it had received 57
erroneous scores. The College Board
reports only the scores that were erro-
neously lowered _ not scores that
were mistakenly raised.

“It‘s a disgrace that upon discovery
of the first series of scoring errors the
College Board was not able to get to
the bottom of the problem." Ross said.
“They owe all of us a detailed explana-
tion of what went wrong and how they
are going to avoid these kinds of
mishaps in the future."

Lee Stetson, admissions dean for
the University of Pennsylvania, which
had 103 affected applicants. said he
was “disappointed" in the way the er-
rors were dribbled out. “It makes us
very unsettled."

Jennifer Topiel, executive director
of communications and public affairs
at the College Board. which adminis-

 

 

ters the test, said Thursday that “noth-
ing like this has ever happened before,
and we are going to ensure this does
not happened again."

“We are 106 years old and have a
long history of excellence," she said.

The College Board announced
Wednesday on its Web site that it will
implement new policies along with its
scoring subcontractor, Pearson Educa-
tional Measurement. In the future
each answer sheet will be scored twice,
and steps will be taken to ensure that
answer sheets are protected from hu-
midity. In addition, Booz Allen Hamil-
ton has been hired to review scanning
procedures, and will provide recom-
mendations within 90 days.

Two weeks ago, the College Board
disclosed that of the half-million stu-
dents who took the October SATs, 4,000
had scores that were higher than origi-
nally reported. A week later, it report-
ed that another 1,600 sheets had not
been rescanned. And then this week, it
reported that an additional 27,000 of
the October tests were not rechecked,
notifying schools and affected stu-
dents.

“lt's the latest installment of a soap
opera, and it makes you wonder what’s
coming next," said Robert Schaeffer of
Fair’I‘est, which is critical of schools’
reliance on standardized testing. He
said he would lobby Congress for hear-
ings. “There’s less regulation over
these tests than over what you feed
your pets,” he said. “This demon-
strates how much human error is in-
volved in making high-stakes educa-
tion decisions."

The timing is terrible. several ad-
missions directors said. At the Univer-
sity of Virginia, Dean of Admissions
John Blackburn found out Thursday
morning that 12 more applicants had
incorrect scores. 80 officials will pull

out their files just as they did for 66
other applicants, look at the numbers,
and see if they need to reconsider. So
far, he said, the news has not changed
any of their admissions decisions.
“SATs are just one factor we consider,”
he said.

Blackburn said he has never seen a
problem like this, in nearly 40 years in
admissions. “This group has tested
millions of people they‘re amazing—
ly consistent. Every once in a while
the score sheets got some humidity,
rippled, so the scanner didn’t pick it
up.”

At Georgetown University, 15,000
admissions decisions letters get
mailed Friday. Officials reviewed 93 ap
plications because of incorrect scores.
One was wrong by a significant 200
points, but most were in the 10-to-30—
point range, said Charles Deacon, the
dean of undergraduate admissions.
“The concern many of us have is they
only adjusted scores that went up _,
not the scores that went down. That’s
the most troubling part." he said, ar-
ticulating a concern of many adminis-
trators that there could be students
with inflated scores who got slots oth-
er applicants deserved.

The news of testing errors fueled
opponents of standardized testing as
some schools are re-evaluating how
much weight to give the SAT.

Twenty years ago, Maine’s Bates
College made the SAT optional, and
the results have been positive, said
William Hiss, vice president for exter-
nal affairs.

“First of all, our applicant pool
doubled," Hiss said. “Its very simple.
You can build a better class with a
larger applicant pool. You end up con-
sidering a dozen different variables
and get a more diverse group with in-
tellectual breath and varied interests."

 

“If you don’t know your

student body.

    
  
  
    
   
  
 

“Of course the interest
will lie with theater majors.
but at the end of the day we
want somebody who can re

newsm kykernel. com

Fine Arts Building.
0 o
E . DiverSIty
mall

Continued from page i

 

CORRECTION

Thursday, March 30.

A story from yesterday's Kernel incorrectly listed the
days for the Student Government election. The election
will take place next week on Wednesday. March 29, and

“For me. it would cause
a real sense of urgency if
we're still doing (harmful)
things now that we were do-
ing to people 15 years ago,"
Williams said.

The questions will also
serve a dual purpose.

 

 

 

 

#IB KENTUCKY

#44 MISSISSIPPI STATE
Tonight - 5 pm

VI.

 

Boone Indoor T-

V'-

OLE MISS
I pm

 

history, you’re doomed to
repeat it," said Tamara
Brown, a psychology profes-
sor, of the negative actions,
but added that it can track
good actions as well. “Part
of it is also to learn from
good practices as well. It’s
also to recognize some good
aspects that have fallen by
the wayside."

E—mail
dshafakakykernelcom

 

Talk

Continued from page I

tors and build relations for
student issues. He also said
he might reach out to form
connections with the ac-
tivist group Kentuckians
for the Commonwealth.
Bates said this was the
first step in a long process
that would pay off for the

“Knowledge is power.”
Bates said. “By having an
increased presence in
Frankfort law makers will
know what students want
and students will know
what their lawmakers are
doing.”

E—mail
srose(_w,kykernel.com

 

Kentuckywsoftoall 2006

A.

Free Admission

”k

      
   
    
   
  
     

  

 
 

H‘Afléfi.-_

A _._s_.—.

mc-efinwm—mn—a‘i

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Friday Ian Conley

A t. F Ed‘t
March 24. 2006 eal l I I es SS emit? 2513192;
PAGE 3 E-mail: iconleyOliykernelxom

 

 

TECHCHECK I not just for geeks

Hasta la ‘Vista, ’ baby

Soon, the next generation
of Microsoft operating sys-
tems will be here. Called
Windows Vista, Microsoft ex-
pects its new flagship prod-
uct to revolutionize the oper-
ating system world the way
that Win-
dows XP
changed the
face of per-
sonal com-
puting.

However,
. all is not
well in the
M i c r o s o f t
compound
in Redmond,
Wash.

Windows
Vista has

been plagued
with delays and bugs ever
since its inception as “Long-
horn” in 2001. Ideally, it was
supposed to be an optimiza-
tion of the entire Windows
code base. New features were
supposed to be implemented,
such as an entirely new user
interface, three-dimensional
desktop elements, and a revo-
lutionary file system that
would run twice as fast as
NTFS, the file system used by
Windows XP.

However, as time pro-
gressed, Windows Longhorn
took on some very unrealis-
tic requirements — by some
estimates, it would require
users to have a computer
anywhere from two to four

 

Roger
Chui

TECH COLUMNIST

times as powerful as the aver-
age computer on the market
today.

Instead of offering a com-
plete rewrite of all the famil-
iar Windows elements. Mi-
crosoft announced that they
would be releasing a stepped-
up version of Windows XP
with more eye candy and
web integration.

Windows Vista will fea-
ture a new desktop element
from Microsoft, called Win-
dows Sidebar. The Windows
Sidebar will let users conve-
niently access information
from various sources on the
internet in one place on their
screen. This is similar to
Dashboard, featured in Ap-
ple’s OS X Tiger, released al-
most one year ago.

Windows Vista will also
feature enhanced built-in se-
curity, shipping with Win-
dows Defender, which pro-
tects against spyware and
provides improved “kernel-
level” security, which de-
fends against hackers and
viruses at the very core of
the operating system.

Vista has been out in beta
since last September and
that testing is now complet-
ed. Software engineers in
Redmond are now working
hard to release the final ver-
sion of Vista. Originally ru-
mored for release this sum-
mer in time for the back-to-
school computer rush. Vista
was then pushed back to the

£3

Windows Vista

fall, in time for the holiday
season. This week, Microsoft
delayed Windows Vista even
further, pushing back the re-
lease to the general con-
sumer market until, at the
earliest. January 2007.

Since Vista has been in
planning and development
for five years there are high
expectations for it. However,
more often than not, Win-
dows Vista is the butt of
jokes; with all the delays
Longhorn and Vista have
had. Windows Vista’s release
is frequently used as the
computer geek equivalent of
“when pigs fly.”

Microsoft has done much
to clean up its image to con-
sumers since the days of the
antitrust lawsuits by both
the U.S.0 government and the
European Union and their
new airbrushed image
should show up well in the
release of Windows Vista —

 

whenever it‘s finally re-
leased.

E-mail

features/a kykernelrom

 

Internet and television a.match
made In technological nirvana

By Matea Gold
Los ANGELES TIMES

Cenk Uygur was pretty
sure he had the makings of
a good TV show.

Every afternoon, he and
fellow liberal talk-show
hosts Ben Mankiewicz and
Jill Pike spent three hours
dishing about politics and
pop culture for their irrever-
ent Sirius Satellite Radio
program, “The Young
Turks." They already had an
avid fan base, including lis-
teners who urged the trio to
seek a larger audience.

So last year, the Los An-
geles-based commentators
shot a television pilot in a
rented studio and shopped it
to the cable news channels.
buoyed by a letter-writing
campaign to network execu-
tives from some of their fol-
lowers.

No one bit. So Uygur and
his co-hosts took the matter
into their own hands. “We
thought, ‘If they're not go-
ing to put us on, let’s put
ourselves on.’ “

With the help of some in-
vestors, the Young Turks
bought four professional
digital cameras and rented a
studio space in Los Angeles.
In mid-December. they be-
gan streaming their three-
hour show every weekday
on their Web site, www.they-
oungturks.com, billing it as
the first live Internet talk,
show.

In the process, they’ve
helped pioneer the rapidly
developing field of online

programming a from web-
casts to video podcasts and
vlogs (the video version of a
blog) — now delivering con-
tent that traditionally would
have had to survive the tele»
Vision development season
and pass the muster of net-
work executives to find an
audience.

Until recently. original
video programming on the
Internet has resembled
homemade films more than
mainstream television
shows. appealing to niche
audiences with pieces fo-
cused largely on youth cu1~
ture, tech wizardry or
quirky personal stories.

But this new medium is
increasingly being em-
braced by broader con-
stituencies as well. In the
case of “The Young Turks,"
the program has attracted a
growing number of liberals
hungry for a political victo-
ry — and excited about the
potential of a technology
that offers a low-cost way to
rally the troops. For Democ-
rats who have long felt out-
flanked by the rights heavy
presence on talk radio, the
Internet program provides a
new model of how to get
their message out. unfil-
tered.

The numbers are small
— an average of 11,000 peo-
ple tune in every day to the
webcast of “The Young
Turks," with an estimated
100,000 more listening in on
the radio or through audio
podcasts, according to the
show. But the program has

already entered the political
zeitgeist. drawing the kind
of guests usually found on
the broadcast networks’
Sunday talk shows.

Rep. Henry Waxman. D-
Calif., Rep. Louise M.
Slaughter, D-N.Y. and former
Rep. Bob Barr. R-Ga., have
all appeared recently, along
with environmentalist Lau»
rie David, Adam Green of
MoveOn.org and a host of
journalists from The New
York Times. Newsweek and
The Nation.

Pike. who does all the
booking. says she used to
have to “twist arms" to per-
suade politicians to come on
the program. Now, congres-
sional candidates from
around the country regular-
ly call and ask to be inter-
viewed.

Uygur says he doesn't
hold out hope that a pro-
gram like "The Young
Turks" could ever go head to
head with a broadcast or ca-
ble show.

Rather, he says. “I think
the Internet is going to be
seen as a talent pool. In the
past. you had to tour the
country‘s comedy clubs or
watch local news tapes. Now.
you can look online to see
what has already worked in
a really, really tough envi-
ronment. On the Internet
you don‘t start with a lead-
in of ‘CSI.‘ You start with a
lead-in of zero -— flat zero.”

“This is wide open."
Uygur says. “We can do any-
thing we dream of.“

 

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