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Tuesday, April 03, 2007


AFP Reports On Giggles From The Back Of McCain Press Conference

A quote from an AFP article about that Baghdad press conference where Michael Ware was allegedly laughing at and heckling John McCain (previous posts here, here and here with video available of the press conference here)

“I studied warfare. I’m a student of history. If you control the capital city of a nation you have a significant advantage,” countered McCain as one reporter giggled at the back.

Everybody on the right has been apologizing for believing Drudge and saying that the video linked above exonerates Ware.  I’ve been saying that the video is inconclusive at best, and that heckling behavior wouldn’t be at all out of character for Ware.

Looks like I’m probably right.

 

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Comments

Nice find, Rob.  I have no doubt that that drunken sod was acting unprofessionally.  Apparently, his reputation is catching up with him, since the last couple of times I’ve seen him on CNN he actually appeared nearly sober.

Carrick on April 3, 2007 at 03:21 pm

I agree that Ware may have giggled after all. Did anyone happen to catch him on CNN this afternoon? He had some interesting things to say about how the bad guys view the arguments in America over the war…transcript is here, he’s on about a quarter of the way down the page.


“All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. ”

Arthur Schopenhauer

MikeAdamson on April 3, 2007 at 06:02 pm

Any who mocked the bald head
of the Prophet John would have
been torn apart by she bears.

No bears , no fowl.(or giggles)

WOOF on April 3, 2007 at 06:10 pm
Avatar for MBenz

On Tuesday, a group of blogs pointed to a Sunday, April 1 story from Agence France-Presse reporter Jennie Matthew as evidence that a reporter in the back of the press conference had “giggled” while the Arizona Republican spoke.

She told RAW STORY in an e-mail that Michael Ware was not the culprit.

“As far as I’m aware there was no disruption of the press conference at all,” wrote Matthew from Baghdad. “The reporter who giggled at the back was not Michael Ware, whom I don’t remember giggling or making any kind of disturbance. I think I remember him wanting to ask a question, but the congressmen ended the news conference.”

MBenz on April 4, 2007 at 06:12 am
Avatar for Nicolai

Now that this non-story is dead (again) I look forward to the next one, perhaps something like this: “During McCain’s press conference reporter Michael Ware was seen scratching his head. Clearly mocking McCain and attempting to undermine him, Ware scratched the back of his neck in obvious feigned incredulity. He might as well have shouted out “you crazy old man you make no sense!”

Nicolai on April 4, 2007 at 06:50 am
Avatar for joannegmurphy

“As far as I’m aware there was no disruption of the press conference at all,” wrote Matthew from Baghdad. “The reporter who giggled at the back was not Michael Ware, whom I don’t remember giggling or making any kind of disturbance. I think I remember him wanting to ask a question, but the congressmen ended the news conference.”

From Matthew herself!

What part of THAT do you right wing goons not understand???
Man, give it UP!  You people have got to come to your senses.  From global warming to the “sruge” to b.s. like this, face it:  REALITY has a liberal bias!

joannegmurphy on April 4, 2007 at 07:02 am
Avatar for Clint Brown

Mr. Ware could just do like the Republicans and say he has no recollection of that press conference.

Clint Brown on April 4, 2007 at 07:03 am
Avatar for left man

its sad how you delusional mopes grasp at anything.  face it, the left is right and the right is delusional.  when will you just give it up.  now ive heard the philosphy of how we all are looking through slightly different filters but you delusional twits are just downright moronic in your attempt to keep what you HAD.  its gone mope, gone, and you all need to face it.  its gone foerver becuase people like you do not, cannot, will not ever acknowledge what is.

left man on April 4, 2007 at 07:04 am
Avatar for left man

oh my gosh, someone giggled, oh dreaded me, im now verklempt at the thought that someone giggled, oh jeeze, what is this world coming to, giggled? anything but giggled! how will i ever accept this giggle, please take me to the closest therapist to help he understand how someone giggled, giggled, oh jeeze im going to faint, giggled? oh gosh oh gosh almighty someone giggled. HOW THE F*** CAN SOMEONE ACTUALLY SIT AT THEIR COMPUTER AND BE SERIOUS ABOUT HOW SOMEONE GIGGLED, I KNOW I KNOW, ITS BECAUSE IN NORMAL, HUMAN FACE TO FACE COMMUNICATION NO ONE WOULD HAVE THE GUTS TO SAY IT.  YOU ALL HIDE BEHIND YOUR PCS AND TALK THIS MORONIC BULL CRAP ABOUT HOW SOMEONE GIGGLED.  GO CLIMB BACK INTO YOUR HOLES YOU DELUSIONAL MOPES.  OMG SOMEONE GIGGLED, JUST WHAT IS THE WORLD COMING TO?

left man on April 4, 2007 at 07:11 am
Avatar for xii

The writer of the AFP article cited here, Jennie Matthew, says, “As far as I’m aware, there was no disruption of the press conference at all. The reporter who giggles at the back was not Michael Ware, whom I don’t remember giggling or making any kind of disturbance.”

So not only does the witness you cite deny that the “heckler” was Michael Ware, she also says that no actual disruption took place. So now you must either set out to discredit her, or face the fact that what you’ve got is someone snickering at a press conference. Which, in the reality-based world, is something that is not terribly uncommon. As a public figure, you deal with a cynical and occasionally rude press. Or you try to replace them all with Jeff Gannon-Guckert.

xii on April 4, 2007 at 07:21 am
Avatar for LEFT MAN

PLEASE ALMIGHTY GOD ANSWER ME THE QUESTION.  WHY ARE REAL PEOPLE ACTUALLY SITTING HERE WRITING ABOUT HOW SOMEONE DID OR DID NOT GIGGLE?  HOW COULD THIS BE?  HOW COULD I BE THIS AGE, GONE THROUGH THIS MUCH AND HAVE TO SIT HERE AND WRITE ABOUT HOW SOMEONE DID OR DID NOT GIGGLE AND PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY BEING SERIOUS ABOUT IT AS IF SOMEONE CARES ABOUT THEIR VIEWS ON GIGGLING?  GIGGLING DOESNT MATTER FOLKS.  REALLY IT DOES NOT.  P[LEASE GO LIVE A MORE PRODUCTIVE LIFE AND STOP SERIOUSLY WRITING ON HOW SOMEONE DID OR DID NOT EFFING GIGGLE.  PLEASE BE A REAL HUMAN AND PRODUCTIVE PERSON AND GO FIGURE OUT WHY OUR MEN AND WOMEN ARE DYING SO CHENY AND BUSH CAN ACHIEVE WHATEVER THE HECK THEY ARE WANTING TO ACHIEVE.

LEFT MAN on April 4, 2007 at 07:27 am
Avatar for LEFT MAN

OH DEAR ROB, YOU are RIGHT, HOW GLORIOUS, MAY I NOW GET ON MY KNEES BEFORE AND KISS YOUR YOU TOE RING? OH ROB YOU WONDERFUL MAN, SO SEEING, SO POWERFUL.  OMG YOU FOOL!

LEFT MAN on April 4, 2007 at 07:41 am
Avatar for LEFT MAN

ROB IS A TOADY, ROB IS A TOADY!!!!!!!!!!!! NOW I NEVER TROLL BUT THIS IS FUN.

LEFT MAN on April 4, 2007 at 07:42 am

What is it about leftwing twits that they never seem to comprehend just how pathetically stupid and woefully childish they are?  A cross between Barney the purple dinosaur and Barney Fife.


“Capitalism is optimism monetized.”

Bat One on April 4, 2007 at 07:59 am
Avatar for left man

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH my first response and of course someone that writes about giggling is calling me a barney, that is the funniest thing.  Youre a giggler and I saw you giggle so you better not deny it, bat sh*t.

left man on April 4, 2007 at 08:03 am
Avatar for Demosthenes

No Rob, looks like you’re just another completely wrong right-wing fuckwad living in fantasy-land.

The AFP reporter has already said on the record that the person giggling was not Michael Ware.

Demosthenes on April 4, 2007 at 08:06 am
Avatar for Bob

I’ve been saying that the video is inconclusive at best, and that heckling behavior wouldn’t be at all out of character for Ware.

Would that be his actual character, or the one you’re trying to manufacture for him to discredit actual reporting?

Bob on April 4, 2007 at 08:41 am
Avatar for Devil's Advocate

Jennie Mathew from AFP:

“As far as I’m aware there was no disruption of the press conference at all,” wrote Matthew from Baghdad. “The reporter who giggled at the back was not Michael Ware, whom I don’t remember giggling or making any kind of disturbance. I think I remember him wanting to ask a question, but the congressmen ended the news conference.”

You are a ludicrous Bush zombie.

Devil's Advocate on April 4, 2007 at 08:48 am
Avatar for xii

::giggle::

Uh oh. Looks like I heckled. Sorry about that.

Is heckling such a lost art that anything passes for it these days? Surely there are some old-school hecklers out there who can revive the art form.

xii on April 4, 2007 at 09:06 am

Goodness. Can you guys cuss anymore? I don’t think you quite got your points across.

I did like the “REALITY has a liberal bias!” claim. That’s funny considering that liberalism adheres to failing economic theories while denying the twin evils of big government and big religion.

likwidshoe on April 4, 2007 at 09:26 am
Avatar for g

I think this extremely relevant discussion over whether someone giggled at a press conference makes this a very important blog. I will add you to my blogroll right away. More people like you need to go out and find all the gigglers in society and expose them for who they are. You are doing great work Rob.

g on April 4, 2007 at 09:32 am
Avatar for shingles

1. I didn’t realize that giggling is heckling.

2.  The article doesn’t prove ANYTHING since it doesn’t even have the guilty giggling reporter’s name listed.  For all you know the reporter from Asia Times may have been tickling the reporter from the Australian Herald Sun.

shingles on April 4, 2007 at 09:33 am
Avatar for xii

I did like the “REALITY has a liberal bias!” claim. That’s funny considering that liberalism adheres to failing economic theories while denying the twin evils of big government and big religion.

I thought it was funny because the actual source quoted by Rob is saying that there was no heckling, and that while someone did giggle, it wasn’t Ware. Plus, pearl-clutching over someone giggling is pretty inherently funny.

Also, it seems pretty clear that this whole thing was concocted, based on a faulty or invented story, in order to discredit a reporter whose reporting casts McCain, and the war in general, in a bad light. Unless you think that the media is conspiring to hide a secret tape of Ware yelling “you suck!” at the press conference. Which in itself would be a damn funny conspiracy to believe in.

xii on April 4, 2007 at 09:37 am

Wow. These people’s lives are obviously so more important and important-event-saturated than Rob’s is. 18 comments about how stupid it is to post about giggling really gets the point across. Jackasses. Your defence only strengthens Rob’s resolve to post about stupid bullshit. Am I the only one who realizes that?


For truth is named after the daughter of time, not of authority.

-Francis Bacon

Sparkie Arbuckle on April 4, 2007 at 09:42 am

xii posits, Also, it seems pretty clear that this whole thing was concocted, based on a faulty or invented story, in order to discredit a reporter whose reporting casts McCain, and the war in general, in a bad light.

Is this conspiracy theory of yours “reality”?

likwidshoe on April 4, 2007 at 09:43 am
Avatar for Blue+Red

*Not drunk (personal smear)
*No heckling (video confirmation)
*No giggling:

http://powerlineblog.com/archives/017246.php

Blue+Red on April 4, 2007 at 10:07 am
Avatar for xii

Is this conspiracy theory of yours “reality”?

At this point, either my theory is true, or the whole thing was an honest mistake based on some massive miscommunication. Either way, a whole lotta people got their undies in a bunch over nothing. (Unless you believe there’s a secret tape. In which case, you probably spend every waking hour in a state of frenzied paranoia already.)

Sparkie Arbuckle, I don’t get your point. People posting on the intertubes are losers? Rob knew this was a bullshit issue all along? He did it for the lulz?

xii on April 4, 2007 at 10:26 am

*Not drunk (personal smear)

Michael Ware not drunk?  Now that’s a geographical oddity!

Carrick on April 4, 2007 at 10:33 am

Most of these nuts are coming over from The Raw Story sewer. The self proclaimed guardians of truth couldn’t even get Rob’s name right. I guess that is a part of the “reality” that these jackasses were talking about.

likwidshoe on April 4, 2007 at 10:42 am
Avatar for Andy C

“Looks like I’m probably right.”  Unless one takes even the most half-assed look at the available evidence, yes.

Andy C on April 4, 2007 at 10:42 am
Avatar for xii

Are the drinking accusations based on anything besides Ware’s comment to Bill Maher? Because I’m amazed that anyone could honestly hear that quote in context and not realize it was simply very dark humor. He followed the “I stay drunk all the time” statement with, “In fact, I’m drinking right now.” Do people think he was making a literal statement of fact? If so, do you think the vice president literally wanted Sen. Leahy to have sex with himself on the Senate floor? Journalists do tend to hit the bottle (plus he’s Australian to boot) but do people really think that this one quote is somehow proof that he drinks dramatically more than other journalists and is therefore unfit? Isn’t that extrapolating an awful lot?

xii on April 4, 2007 at 10:44 am
Avatar for xii

likwidshoe, Before you diagnose everyone who doesn’t believe the “heckling” story as insane, I’d suggest you track down the reporter’s quote yourself to determine if you think she’s credible or not.

xii on April 4, 2007 at 10:46 am

likwidshoe, Before you diagnose everyone who doesn’t believe the “heckling” story as insane…

Dude, I don’t even care about this story. I haven’t even seen the video. I simply don’t give a shit.

Sparkie - your point applies.

likwidshoe on April 4, 2007 at 10:50 am

Xii, most reporters are sods.  You didn’t know?

Carrick on April 4, 2007 at 10:50 am
Avatar for xii

::Giggle::

Damn, did it again. Stop the presses! Traitor in our midst!

The intertubes are SERIOUS BUSINESS.

xii on April 4, 2007 at 10:57 am

dork.

Carrick on April 4, 2007 at 11:00 am
Avatar for xii

I’d believe Ware was a drunk because he’s an Australian before I’d believe it based on his comments to Bill Maher.

Did I mention that in fact I am drinking right now? Feel free to report that as absolute fact.

xii on April 4, 2007 at 11:01 am

I wouldn’t call him a drunk, though I can see how reporting from the Green Zone can turn you into one.  Similar to what working out of a Saigon hotel during the Vietnam War did to the reporters.  War zone reporting takes its toll.

Regarding the Maher show, it wasn’t just what he said, it was the obvious fact he was inebriated at the time that sullied his reputation.

In any case, you certainly are giving a lot of energy to what is mostly a musing posted on line.

Carrick on April 4, 2007 at 11:14 am
Avatar for xii

Well, I think Sparkie clearly established that my life isn’t nearly as saturated as Rob’s, or the rest of the blogs that picked up this story from Drudge and posted it along with commentary claiming it was indisputable evidence that CNN and Michael Ware are liberally biased, and then failed to retract it or qualify it in any way. That kind of fervent devotion is bount to saturate a person.

xii on April 4, 2007 at 11:31 am
Avatar for Peter

In the Raw Story, based on circumstantial evidence of giggling during McCain’s press conference after knowing that the validity of this report was called in question, you simply stated since there was giggling and your claim to know Michael Ware’s character, “i am probably right”. 

This last statement is the defining statement.  It is not a right or left issue….it is having integrity and not fueling speculation until you get your facts straight.  The reporter who reported on this story and was there said definitely which you discovered later, was NOT Michael Ware.  I know how much you WANTED it to be Michael Ware, to fuel this “controversy”, but sorry, you rushed to judgement without facts to foment an artificial nonstory.  This is wrong when the left does it and wrong when the right does it.  No more lies please.

Peter on April 4, 2007 at 11:42 am

I know how much you WANTED it to be Michael Ware, to fuel this “controversy”, but sorry, you rushed to judgement without facts to foment an artificial nonstory.

Hey, it’s almost like the Valerie Plame crap that was forced down the nation’s throat for years. So many people WANTED the “leak” to have come from Cheney. Even after the facts came out, it didn’t matter.

No more lies please.

“Lies”? I don’t think that Rob is lying here.

Why don’t you run on back to The Raw Story website and inform them that Robert Heinlein has been dead for about 19 years now.

likwidshoe on April 4, 2007 at 11:53 am
Avatar for left man

The bushbrigade has really hit the skids, having to blog about giggling, its such a sad commentary on what bush needs to stay in power; lies, dead maimed and emotionally scarred american military, toadys, sycophants, disturbed giggling psychopaths, sad masturbating morons.  so Rob and all of your supporters, you are now going to be referred to as the giggle-brigade.

left man on April 4, 2007 at 12:05 pm
Avatar for left man

um hey likwidshoe, er um the leak did come from cheney, did you just get back from the usa where they dont report the news, oh uh wait im in the usa.  hmm oh likwidshoe, im here to stay and rawstory is where it is at girlfriend.  so i see youre a part of the giggle-brigade, how fun.

left man on April 4, 2007 at 12:11 pm

The bushbrigade has really hit the skids, having to blog about giggling, its such a sad commentary on what bush needs to stay in power

How ridiculous can you get?

I think that the “masturbating moron” here is the person who starts a string of 5 comment within the span of 38 minutes. I mean,..are you okay? Who were you talking to besides yourself? Slow down tiger. This story isn’t that important for you to begin the tea-leaf readings.

likwidshoe on April 4, 2007 at 12:11 pm

You’re here to stay? Bye!

likwidshoe on April 4, 2007 at 12:12 pm

The room is sure full today…perhaps rather than feeding the trolls we should welcome them and invite them to look around SA. It would certainly be easier on my inbox if nothing else.


“All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. ”

Arthur Schopenhauer

MikeAdamson on April 4, 2007 at 12:18 pm

The room is sure full today…perhaps rather than feeding the trolls we should welcome them and invite them to look around SA.

No thanks. This site has enough problems with civility and respect. The Raw Story crowd is many times worse in that aspect and would only create hostility.

Just look up through this thread.

likwidshoe on April 4, 2007 at 12:24 pm
Avatar for waiting26

Looks like you’re probably MSU (making S*** up). The real Robert Heinlein was a writer worth reading. Good to know you’re no relation and your silly meanderings do not sully the name with marginal thinking.

waiting26 on April 4, 2007 at 12:43 pm

Looks like you’re probably MSU (making S*** up). The real Robert Heinlein was a writer worth reading. Good to know you’re no relation and your silly meanderings do not sully the name with marginal thinking.

Thanks for that useless bit of assholery.

The Raw Story needs to check these easily checkable things a bit better, don’t you think? It’s not like they haven’t linked to this website before and correctly credited the author time and time again.

Who knows where this self proclaimed “reality based” site pulled the name Robert Heinlein from. I guess they were just making shit up.

likwidshoe on April 4, 2007 at 12:59 pm
Avatar for left man

hey likwidshoe, i thought you were leaving.  im sure you can get someone to discuss giggling with you in real life, away from here.

left man on April 4, 2007 at 01:14 pm

hey likwidshoe, i thought you were leaving.

No. I was saying bye to you because you’re leaving.

Bye again, troll.

likwidshoe on April 4, 2007 at 01:19 pm
Avatar for Marko

The Drudge story was “invented news”. Never happened.

Or so says the reported who Drudge quoted as his source. Seems he got caught in another fib.

Marko on April 4, 2007 at 02:47 pm

God, Marko, can you mangle the English language any worse?

According to Drudge, his source wasn’t a reporter, but an official who was present during the press conference.

For those of you who thinks the video proves anything, two words: Cardioid Microphone.  A highly directional microphone, such as that normally used in audition, wouldn’t pick up somebody’s snickers and “under the breath” comments.  Nor does another reporter shilling for Ware prove anything.  You’d expect them to circle the wagons when one of them gets attacked.

Personally, I don’t give a f**k,  I’ve been unimpressed with Ware for a long time now. I’m simply trying to get you “reality based” losers a better sense of what realism really looks like, as opposed to your partisan hackery that you try to pass off as realism.

Carrick on April 4, 2007 at 02:59 pm
Avatar for Not a liar

You PajamaLIARS and your lies.

Burn in Hell, liars.

Not a liar on April 4, 2007 at 03:00 pm

That said, if Drudge’s original story is wrong, he should apologize to Ware.

Carrick on April 4, 2007 at 03:00 pm
Avatar for Hooper

What i don’t understand is that the evidence, as presented, shows that drudge was wrong in this case. Then, instead of providing counter-evidence to show why drudge is correct, folks resort to personal attacks and character assassination to defend drudge’s reporting and Rob’s post.

Why can’t folks deal with the evidence in a rational manner and get over it? Instead of going on the attack, why not just ask Drudge to apologize for an honest mistake, print a retraction, and salvage some integrity from this?

Hooper on April 4, 2007 at 04:30 pm
Avatar for annie

wow, is this ever a non story.

the right thinks it can change the reality of the war by changing the messenger. that is because in the new info warfare war reality is what they say in the news!

you can tell somebodies desperate when all they can come up w/is a giggle. where’s rove? McCain had black babies!! on sorry, wrong side. ware has black babies and they giggle!
and so does anna nicole!

i guess since you are a say anything blog you are perfectly justified in covering this junk news

Looks like I’m probably right.

ouch! those some fighting words!!

annie on April 4, 2007 at 04:33 pm
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Burn in Hell, liars.

- “Not a liar”

The lady doth protest too much, methinks! -Hamlet (III, ii, 239)


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Proof on April 4, 2007 at 04:36 pm
Avatar for bob

What a bunch of idiots.  Some right wing fool (and I’m being redundant) posts a lie about an extremely credible reporter in order to damage his credibility as retribution for calling McCain on the carpet for pulling information from his as$, and you sheep line up and bleat, “yeah, it coulda happened.”

No evidence at all. The purported source denies it.  Microphones and cameras all around.  Still no evidence.  Room full of people and yet no witnesses.  Still you hang on, saying, “yeah, it coulda happened.”

BTW, Carrick, cardoid mics do not eliminate ambient sound in a room, which is why they’re prefered over lavaliere mics.  If there was giggling or comments said that were audible in the room, a microphone would have caught it.

bob on April 5, 2007 at 09:35 am

Hooper:

Why can’t folks deal with the evidence in a rational manner and get over it? Instead of going on the attack, why not just ask Drudge to apologize for an honest mistake, print a retraction, and salvage some integrity from this?

Funny. The way I see it, the people shilling for Michael Ware on the ones on the attack, and are the one’s not interested in any evidence that may contradict their prior held beliefs.

Regarding Drudge… if his source recants, then he should issue an apology.  Otherwise, we’re just holding the media to the same standards they hold us to.

Tough for them.

Carrick on April 5, 2007 at 11:50 am

Bob :

BTW, Carrick, cardoid mics do not eliminate ambient sound in a room, which is why they’re prefered over lavaliere mics.  If there was giggling or comments said that were audible in the room, a microphone would have caught it.

Better check your police work there, Bubbha.

Directivity pattern for a cardioid mike:

What this means is there is virtually no sensitivity to sound coming from behind the mike (towards the audience in general).

Of course cardioid mike work better for higher-frequency sounds.  Which of course includes whispers and giggles.  Low frequency sounds like a door closing would probably still be picked up.

Sorry Bubbha, but you’re simply wrong on this. The sound recording provides no evidence for or against.  All we have as evidence either way is Ware’s prior hostile reaction towards McCain and an anonymous official.  And of course protestations of Ware’s press allies.

You known damn well the press would have accepted this as evidence had the tables been turned.  F**k them, they deserve receiving what they dish out sometimes.

Carrick on April 5, 2007 at 09:22 pm
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Time for Mr. Language Person! The “cardioid” mike is named for its “heart-shaped” directivity pattern. (Note: the diagram above shows an inverted “heart”)

Lavaliere mics, on the other hand, are typically dropped in volcanoes or ‘60’s era lamps…


Shrugging off the mindless, baseless attacks of Liberal hyenas and jackals since 2007

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”(Proof) You’re, as we say in Hawaii, No Ka Oi!”

-unsolicited testimonial

Proof on April 5, 2007 at 09:34 pm

Good comments there, Mr. Language Person-type.

Lavalier mikes by the way are just “lapel” mikes. Typically, they have relatively poor frequency response characteristics and being electret-type mikes have high self-noise compared to studio-quality microphones.  No serious sound engineer would ever use them, though they are useful in low-budget conference-level audition applications.

Carrick on April 5, 2007 at 10:15 pm

boob, did Michael Ware pay terrorists for video of Coalition troops being shot by snipers? Or did he not?
(here is a hint, he says he did)


Una Salus Victus Nullam Sperare Salutem

2Hotel9 on April 6, 2007 at 04:03 am
Avatar for Bob

No serious sound engineer would ever use them, though they are useful in low-budget conference-level audition applications.

Shows your ignorance.  Ever watch a talk show?  Ever watch O’Reilly?  See those black things on their lapels? 

Police work?  Not quite.  You see, I work with them.  Unlike you, I know what I’m talking about.

They’re used when you want to isolate a voice—you have the subject wear the mic.  In an ambient situation, however, lavaliere mics sound unnatural.

If you’d ever have used a cardoid mic (or even one of the more direction shotgun-type mics), you’d have learned that although the mic pattern will minimize sound directly behind the mic, it will not eliminate it, which is why noise gates and dubbed room tone are still widely used in post production.

Being able to google your information is no substitute for my years of experience with the equipment.

And where is this “evidence” about which you keep speaking?  There is nothing.  No one has said it happened other than drudge, and even he retracted the story.  Repeating the lie is the same as lying.

And Ware’s so-called hostility to McCain?  Just calling McCain on the carpet for pulling things out of his as$.

Bob on April 6, 2007 at 05:23 am

The giggle discussion has turned into a heated debate on microphones, ambient noise, and post-production work? Aha ha ha ha ha ha. That’s too damn funny! Emmm who gives a shit? Drudge and Rush and all those other sensationalists are lying douches just like all the reporters are. Revving up for election and all the doggies are humping invisible legs in a frenzy!!!

Burn in Hell, liars.

Actually we might not be liars and hell might not be that warm. I have found a diagram that contradicts your contention:Inferno.gifAs one can clearly see from the diagram, the leftard is just being a silly liar. In fact, apparently quite some time can be spent in hell without burning. Ha ha. Ergo, the giggle occurred and it was clearly evidence of a socialist conspiracy to bring down the government in our fine, free country. Retort that, pinkers!!!


For truth is named after the daughter of time, not of authority.

-Francis Bacon

Sparkie Arbuckle on April 6, 2007 at 05:39 am

The giggle discussion has turned into a heated debate on microphones, ambient noise, and post-production work?

Where else but on Say Anything I ask you…truly it is the best all-purpose blog on the intertubes. smile


“All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. ”

Arthur Schopenhauer

MikeAdamson on April 6, 2007 at 09:30 am

Bob:

If you’d ever have used a cardoid mic (or even one of the more direction shotgun-type mics), you’d have learned that although the mic pattern will minimize sound directly behind the mic, it will not eliminate it, which is why noise gates and dubbed room tone are still widely used in post production.

Bob, I use microphones all of the time.  I’m a researcher in acoustics, and in fact one of my projects involves microphone design.  So I think my experience may in fact trump yours in this respect.

Cardioid mikes don’t follow the ideal pattern, but as I pointed out they are generally more effective at high frequencies than low frequencies.  Normal voice from the backside of the mike will sound muffled due to loss of high frequency sound.

The crowd noise you’re talking about?  Generally comes from omnidirectional microphones that get mixed in.  For a cardoid mike, it can also be back reflected sound (usually from a wall behind the speaker) in non-ideal recording environments.  But crowd noise is much higher in decibel level than a single whisper, giggles or statements muttered under ones breath.

When you factor in the person is standing in the back of a room in the presence of other crowd noise, and they are producing lower than conservation level sounds, there is no way you’re going to pick that up from the stage mike at the front of the room.

lavaliere mics sound unnatural.

That’s because of the phase characteristics of lapel mikes.  They usually have resonances in their microphone body that amplify higher frequency sound (at the expense of really screwing up the phase response). OK for voice pickups for a sound system, but I’d never choose one for making professional-quality recordings. 

I’m not familiar with exactly what equipment they use on O’Reiley, but I’m pretty sure they employ boom mikes in addition to lapel mikes.

As to the rest… the only real “evidence” is Drudge’s anonymous source plus as I said Ware’s obviously hostile behavior towards McCain.  You call it OK for him to call McCain on the carpet?  Funny that not everybody that’s been in Baghdad agrees with Ware, including the commanding general, whom I would put money on is more situationally aware that Ware.

Either way, that’s a prior confrontation between the two, and it wouldn’t be at all surprising that, if Ware disagreed as strongly as he obviously does, that this disagreement would spill over into the press conference, now does it?

In the end, what we have is Drudge holding Ware to the same standard of proof as Ware often holds the subjects of his own reporting.  Tough for Ware if he doesn’t like it.  And by way, last I checked, Drudge hadn’t retracted the story.  (If his source were to recant, then he should, that’s my take on it.)

And it’s really funny that you can’t respond civilly.  Apparently you think that angry rhetoric makes your position look stronger.  News flash, it just makes you look like an unreasoning reactionary.

Carrick on April 6, 2007 at 10:11 am
Avatar for Bob

Bob, I use microphones all of the time.

Frankly, I don’t believe you.  When you claimed that, “No serious sound engineer would ever use (lavaliere mics),” you proved an ignorance that no amount of google cut and paste can refute.

You call it OK for him to call McCain on the carpet?

If someone pulls information from his as$, trying to pass it a gospel, then yes, yes and yes, no matter what side of the aisle.

Funny that not everybody that’s been in Baghdad agrees with Ware, including the commanding general, whom I would put money on is more situationally aware that Ware.

Hmm, who’s been there longer?  So, are you saying that all is peachy in Iraq?  Are you saying that “the insurgency is in its last throws?”  Are you going to pull a Kaloogian and try to pass off a photo of Istanbul as Baghdad?

And asking for evidence is being an “unreasoning reactionary?”  Show me something other than “it wouldn’t be out of character,” because so far, THE EVIDENCE SAYS YOU’RE WRONG.

Oh wait, that’s right, you guys are used to believing lies, like the aluminum tubes are only suitable for enriching uranium, or Atta met with Iraqi agents in the Czech republic, or Sadaam tried to buy yellow cake in Niger.


Civility is the last refuge for the bully whose victim has started to fight back.

Bob on April 6, 2007 at 12:33 pm

Bob:

Frankly, I don’t believe you.  When you claimed that, “No serious sound engineer would ever use (lavaliere mics),” you proved an ignorance that no amount of google cut and paste can refute.

Sure, Bob.  We’ll wire up the NYC orchestra with lapel mikes next time. OK?

You’re just an uncouth idiot.

Carrick on April 6, 2007 at 01:08 pm
Avatar for Bob

Yeah Carrick, and we’ll just give EVERY GUEST AND EVERY ANCHOR ON EVERY NEWS PROGRAM ON TV IN THE UNITED STATES AN SM58 TO HOLD IN HIS HAND.

More proof that you’re a liar when you think that sound engineers only record music.  Is that why you’re a right-winger?  Because your pathological lying fits right in?

Shmuck.

“Uncouth idiot?”  Methinks the lady doth protest too much.

Bob on April 6, 2007 at 02:08 pm
Avatar for Bob

BTW, here’s Cheney on Faux News wearing a lavaliere mic, and here’s Rep. Marsha Blackburn looking like she’s waiting for a salami on MSNBC.  I’ve circled the lavaliere mics.  Note that I only went over to crooksandliars and grabbed two quick images; I looked no further than that.

Bob on April 6, 2007 at 02:29 pm

Bob, what makes you think I’m a right winger?  You make a lot of assumptions about what I think or don’t think, and mostly are getting it wrong.

And in spite of your general poor behavior and generally bloviating, you fail to address anything of substance.  In fact you’ve been all over the map putting words in my mouth, then shooting them down.  Thanks for the numerous examples of the use of strawman arguments, like your lie about me saying that sound engineers only record concert.

I never said that lapel mikes aren’t used in the industry, just that no good sound engineer would use one—and as should have been clear from the context—to record a person speaking at a podium.  The preference would be a for a quality directional microphone because it has less phase distortion and a flatter frequency response, making the recorded speech less recognizable when played back in a noisy environment (such as a car).

They get used for television broadcast, because the noise environment is benign enough that the phase distortion issues don’t have much effect on speech recognition.  They aren’t that great for audition because press conferences, for example, tend to be very noisy places, and you have to turn the sound level way up (often to the point of generating obnoxious squealing sounds).

Your bluster aside, you still haven’t explained why you think a sub-conversation level sound (e.g., a-weighted sound

< 65 dB) would be audible when recorded from the back-side of a cardioid microphone: You're going to get at least 40 dB of suppression from the mike's directivity pattern and roughly another 35 dB of transmission loss. That adds up to about 75 dB of loss, so for a 65 dB level sound, you're left with a -15 dB sound. Given that the A-weighted level in the room is going to be around

at least 40 dB (probably 50-60 dB in practice), good luck detecting a sound that has an SNR < -55 dB!

You’re unable to respond to what I actually say (I’m sure having no idea what I just said, and assume that like you I was googling it), so you keep making shit up about what I say or believe.  You’re a sad little man, and I pity you.

Carrick on April 6, 2007 at 02:42 pm
Avatar for Bob

And in spite of your general poor behavior and generally bloviating, you fail to address anything of substance.

No, no, no.  I’ve asked for evidence.  You have given none. 

You claimed that a mic in the room would not pick up any heckling.  Which is wrong. 

And when I called you on it, you googled some microphone infomation and claimed that you were a “researcher in acoustics.”

You further claimed that you “never said that lapel mikes aren’t used in the industry, just that no good sound engineer would use one ... to record a person speaking at a podium.”  Which was also not your statement or even your intent, as evidenced by your ridiculous statement about recording the “NYC orchestra (sic)” with lavalieres.

BTW, as a “researcher in acoustics,” you do realize that 40db of loss followed by 35db of loss is not 75db of loss?  As a “researcher in acoustics,” you do know that it’s logarithmic?  You do know that, eh?

I know that sound from the sides, and even behind a cardioid mic is picked up BECAUSE I’VE HAD TO FIX IT IN POST.

Now, back to my original question—WHERE’S YOUR EVIDENCE THAT WARE HECKLED MCCAIN?  Can you answer that?  Or are you going to continue to dodge the issue.

Bob on April 6, 2007 at 03:03 pm

Bob:

You claimed that a mic in the room would not pick up any heckling.  Which is wrong.

No. I claimed a directional mike wouldn’t pick up giggles etc from the back of the room.  Stay on track.  And I demonstrated it with the numbers.

And when I called you on it, you googled some microphone infomation and claimed that you were a “researcher in acoustics.”

I am, but you obviuosly need to go back to school.

You further claimed that you “never said that lapel mikes aren’t used in the industry,

Actually, no I didn’t.  I was discussing the use of a microphone for rebroadcast in the context of a press conference.  Funny that they still put all those mikes on Bush’s podium when he gives one.  WHAT WERE THOSE FOOLS THINKING????  We need to hire you Bob, obviously the world needs you.

just that no good sound engineer would use one ..

Because you are so dense, I had to provide context. I was referring originally to the case of recording the sound from the speaker in a press conference environment.  I also explained why that was the case. Unfortunately you appear too dense to be able to follow the explanation.

Which was also not your statement or even your intent, as evidenced by your ridiculous statement about recording the “NYC orchestra (sic)” with lavalieres.

It was “ridiculous” becuase I was making fun of your lauding the wonders of Lavalier microphones.  Of course you’re too dense to catch that.

BTW, as a “researcher in acoustics,” you do realize that 40db of loss followed by 35db of loss is not 75db of loss?  As a “researcher in acoustics,” you do know that it’s logarithmic?  You do know that, eh?

In fact, they do add:

alpha_loss = P_received/P_source = alpha_attenuation * alpha_transmission

where alpha_attenuation is the directional attenuation from the micrphone and alpha_transmission is the transmission loss.

Since the level L = 20 * log10(P),

then

L_loss = L_attenuation + L_transmission

That’s the BEAUTY of decibels… you just add the losses.  (Here’s the part where, if I were acting as infantile as you have been, I’d gloat over your elementary mistake.)

I know that sound from the sides, and even behind a cardioid mic is picked up BECAUSE I’VE HAD TO FIX IT IN POST.

This is so mangled that I have no earthly idea what you were trying to say.

Carrick on April 6, 2007 at 05:15 pm

Bob:

Now, back to my original question—WHERE’S YOUR EVIDENCE THAT WARE HECKLED MCCAIN?  Can you answer that?  Or are you going to continue to dodge the issue.

I’ve only addressed this half a dozen times.  Let’s try once more and this time you pay attention:

1) Drudge has a confidential source, an official at the news conference, who claims that Ware heckled McCain.

2) The AFP confirms that giggling was heard from the back of the room.

3) We have a backstory that Ware is irritated with McCain’s claims about improvement in Baghdad.

4) The audio recording from the podium would have been highly unlikely to have recorded an audible giggle from the back of the room due to transmission loss, directivity of the microphone and background noise in the room.  Even a non-directional microphone would have been very marginal for detecting such sounds.

5) Had the tables been turned, Ware would have considered an anonymous source sufficient proof of a claim against McCain.

I am merely suggesting that in the absence of a recanting by the anonymous source(s) that Ware be held to the same level of proof that the media holds everybody else to.

A simple proposition.

That’s it, nothing more. Nothing to do with aluminum tubes, flying kites over Baghdad or any other irrelevant nonsense that you might wish to bring up.

Carrick on April 6, 2007 at 05:25 pm

Carrick, you are having WAY too much fun with this community college grad stagehand.

boob? Ware heckled McCain, an act for which I would gladly buy him a drink, because Ware regularly heckles and kibbutzes in press conferences. That he does so in an erudite and urban manner makes it no less heckling.


Una Salus Victus Nullam Sperare Salutem

2Hotel9 on April 6, 2007 at 05:27 pm

Sorry 2Hotel9.  I’ll quit teasing the part-time stagehands who think that this makes them an expert on signal detectability.

In any case, you left out the fact that Ware wears his Aussie credentials on his sleave.  He makes a big show of his “journalistic independence” born of his foreign origins leading to a more reliable assessment of the facts. 

Of course he leaves out the critical factor that we have much more to lose, and therefore will probably examine the issues much more carefully than a boozed-up Aussie ever would.

Carrick on April 6, 2007 at 08:36 pm
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