The great fear about Rupert Murdoch, among journalists and proper liberals everywhere, beyond even his tabloidism and his right-wing politics, is that he acknowledges no rules. He does it, without mercy, his way. If you watch him up close, this certainly seems true. He sits in his office and plots and schemes and figures out ways to get (to take) what he wants.

Although he’d agreed with the Bancroft family, Dow Jones’s former owners, to accept a strict structure for protecting The Wall Street Journal’s editorial independence, I watched how blithely he paid no attention to it. It barely figured into his plans or consciousness. Except that he seemed briefly tickled to have figured out that if he merely called his chosen editor, Robert Thomson, the publisher, then he’d have his choice. He was only slightly confounded (and a bit bemused) that it took Journal editor Marcus Brauchli four months to get the message that he was out.

Still, up close, such lack of restraint doesn’t necessarily seem so threatening. It seems, in fact … fun. There’s no artifice. There’s no bureaucracy. There’s no pretense. There’s no corporate this and that—Murdoch’s truly the anti-corporate man. It’s all determination and enthusiasm. It’s all about his passions and the effect he can have. (Of course he was going to replace the Journal’s editor. What was everybody thinking?)
It’s his adventure. Part of the reason so many of the people around him are so loyal—such true believers—is that they’re caught up in it. It’s a grand enterprise.

Though not necessarily such a well-organized or even rational one.
There was the moment, in the car heading out to the airport in the weeks before The Wall Street Journal formally became his, when Merrill Lynch was going into the tank. Its C.E.O., Stan O’Neal, had just been fired. Anticipating events—Merrill’s need for cash, its inevitable sale of assets—Murdoch, for an hour or so, decided he ought to be the presumptive buyer of Merrill’s 20 percent stake in Bloomberg (Murdoch cultivates obsessions, and Bloomberg is one). Soon to have The Wall Street Journal, now soon to have his mitts on Bloomberg, Rupert Murdoch, at least in his own mind, would control worldwide financial information. It’s management by fantasy—even though this one, like so many, was shortly to pass.

Buying The Wall Street Journal was surely an exercise of pure fantasy. To think he could take over a company absolutely controlled by a family that had repeatedly said it would never sell was fantasy. To think it was worth what he was paying for it was fantasy. And yet … now it’s his, and if his shareholders are puzzled and grumpy (News Corp. shares are down by more than 30 percent since he bought Dow Jones), so be it (he’ll ignore them as much as he ignores his other critics). He’s in it for the long haul—even at 77.

From: http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2008/10/wolff200810?printable=true&currentPage=all

OH geez, I thought this was about JR Ewing......

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Click here to see the items I have up for auction at EBay

Click here to see a photo album of my '62 Sprite Project Moneypit (Now Sold)

What fun it must be to be the ruler of all that one can see . . . . It reminds me of the day I stood on the logia of Biltmore in Asheville, NC, contmplating what the Vanderbilts must have felt as they gazed out on their property. They owned everything they could see with the naked eye, including at least two mountains. I believe it was something like 120,000 acres in all.

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" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

Shoot this place http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/516085/the_king_ranch_in_texas_largest_spread.html could lose the entire Vanderbilt Estate at it's largest and still be bigger than Rhode Island.

Well,at least a wacky acquaintance of mine,Bo Seaman is still giving the bloated plutocrat the jitters.

News
Centre Island 'Junk Art' Law Trashed

Problems and Potential Rights Violation of Proposed Law Discussed

By Carly Weinreb

Angry Centre Island residents gathered Wednesday, May 11, to protest a proposed law that they believed would infringe on their property rights. Centre Island residents told village officials at the crowded May meeting of the board of trustees that the proposed law, which was originally intended to prevent Centre Island resident Henry Bogart Seaman from placing toilet bowls and other forms of "junk art" in his front yard, would unfairly penalize the entire village for the misbehavior of one individual.

Residents protested the law for a variety of reasons, including its infringement on Mr. Seaman's right to freedom of expression, its violation of the zoning code, and its "absurd and corrupt nature."

"It's a citizen's right to display what he considers art," Centre Island resident Lawrence Lally said. Other residents were less tolerant of Seaman's "junk art" which they consider to be "garbage," but did not believe that the proposed law was the proper solution to the problem. After witnessing the unanimous dissent of the villagers, Centre Island Mayor John Williams recommended that the law be revised before going forward with a vote.

The proposed law, section 122-8 of the Centre Island Local Law, would require a 75-foot setback from the front boundary or property line of a building lot, and a 50-foot setback area from the sides and rear boundary of a building lot in which no movable and man-made structure can be placed. Such a law would greatly diminish the percentage of property each homeowner could use, and would prohibit garden boulders, alarm system signs, dumpsters, and even American flags in the restricted area. This latter implication was especially upsetting to Centre Island resident James Mooney.

"If I want to raise an American flag on my property I will do it," former Mayor Mooney said.

The villagers' greatest concern seemed to center around why a law affecting the entire village was necessary for a dispute involving one resident. Village attorney and drafter of the setback law Steven Conlon said although Seaman's "junk art" was the impetus for the law, the setback law is not directed at Seaman and it was not intended to restrict the rights of the other villagers. "Prohibit what is bad and allow what is good...that's what this local law attempts to do," Mr. Conlon said.

However, it became clear that Centre Island residents believed the law prohibited both the bad and the good, and urged board members to drop the proposal.

Although the law contains many exceptions for allowable man-made structures within the restricted area such as approved drainage structures, driveways and walks, fences, gates, mailboxes, and sprinklers, Centre Island resident Gregory Druhak pointed out that there are still many absurd implications of the setback law. For example, Mr. Druhak reasoned that because cars are man-made, movable and not included on the "approved" list, then any resident

with a driveway that does not extend beyond the 75-foot setback area would not be allowed to park his car in the driveway.

"My land is reduced by 80 percent by your laws," Mr. Druhak said. "It sounds like I can't put anything on my property without your permission."

While the board of trustees made it clear that amendments could be made to the law and permits could be obtained for any unforeseen acceptable structures, Centre Island residents worried about the time and money involved in obtaining such permits.

After the meeting concluded, trustee Michael Chalos said he regarded the meeting as a sort of civics lesson. "This is a good example of how the citizens can come together and talk down a particular law that may not be a good law," he said.

The controversy began a few years ago when Mr. Seaman started decorating his front yard with "found items" - regarded by Mr. Seaman as a form of modern art - to protest the bright lights of his neighbor John van Merkensteijn from shining too brightly on Mr. Seaman's property. After Rupert Murdoch bought the house from Mr. Merkensteijn last year, Mr. Seaman's "junk art" proliferated even more. In response to villagers' complaints that the offending displays were diminishing the value of their property, village officials recently decided to plant rows of bamboo to block the garbage from neighbors' sight. However, Mr. Seaman allegedly ripped out the $7,500 of bamboo - a figure that reflects both the cost of the bamboo and labor involved - and was subsequently jailed.

Neither Mr. Seaman nor Mr. Murdoch were present at the board of trustees meeting.


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