Such a fine balance to strike. Yesterday CyberJournalist.net posted this clip. I felt moved to share it too...
The scene reminds me of an extra feature on Jurassic Park. The movie was one of the first to use lifelike computer animation. Before computers models, stop-motion was the best way to get life-like movement. In an interview, a stop-motion special effects man talks about seeing computer animation for the first time, and realizing, "This is going to put me out of business, isn't it?"
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Business of politics
State government is alternately very boring and absolutely fascinating.
I've discovered recently that the Sacramento Bee's Capitol Alert had stopped charging for its subscription, to my delight. The very talented team, lead by Shane Goldmacher, has a hard job and posts excellent news. For example, this story begins with an update on political squabbles, and ends with a very poignant quote from the Governator:
Also recently on the California Majority Report, according to a link from the Alert, the capitol press core is shrinking. Among others leaving, two reporters will be headed to Washington DC.
I remember hearing in my public affairs reporting class that the press core in Sacramento is much different from the press core at Washington DC - that Sacramento's much less competitive. Whereas the DC crowd might all chase one story, and clamor for a response from one source, California reporters have a lazier mindset: "Why bother? Someone else has the story already."
Oh, I'm sorry. That's not laziness, that's the politics of business. Say no more...
I've discovered recently that the Sacramento Bee's Capitol Alert had stopped charging for its subscription, to my delight. The very talented team, lead by Shane Goldmacher, has a hard job and posts excellent news. For example, this story begins with an update on political squabbles, and ends with a very poignant quote from the Governator:
Such a telling quote about the business of politics.The governor continued to blame cuts on the budget system and called for a long-term fix that includes a rainy-day fund. He tried to disassociate himself from his own proposed cuts on education and social services, even insisting that he'd like to stand with the protesters who have rallied against him at the Capitol.
"Sometimes you see schools protesting out there or sending me letters," Schwarzenegger said. "I'm with them. I wish I could stand there protesting, too. Because we have to protest the budget system. Not this year's budget. The budget system is the failure. That is what has to be corrected as quickly as possible."
Also recently on the California Majority Report, according to a link from the Alert, the capitol press core is shrinking. Among others leaving, two reporters will be headed to Washington DC.
I remember hearing in my public affairs reporting class that the press core in Sacramento is much different from the press core at Washington DC - that Sacramento's much less competitive. Whereas the DC crowd might all chase one story, and clamor for a response from one source, California reporters have a lazier mindset: "Why bother? Someone else has the story already."
Oh, I'm sorry. That's not laziness, that's the politics of business. Say no more...
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Good design means sustainability
Please watch this 20-minute video on good design and sustainability - poignant, funny, and jaw-dropping.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
A note about ASAP
While at the Sacramento AAJA's careeer workshop last Saturday, I asked Tom Verdin if he knew why ASAP folded. He told me that the site didn't make enough money. I mentioned advertising and he corrected me--AP does not sell ads. It is a wire service. Not enough newspapers chose to subscribe to the content ASAP delivered.
Though it failed in a financial sense, he compared it to a laboratory because it allowed AP writers to experiment with telling a story using multimedia. It gave them experience that they can now pass on to other writers, and carry with them in the future.
During the panelist discussion, he stressed that AP reporters are not technology experts. They are expected to be comfortable with taking video and audio and other things, but "we don't get paid extra for it," he said.
Though it failed in a financial sense, he compared it to a laboratory because it allowed AP writers to experiment with telling a story using multimedia. It gave them experience that they can now pass on to other writers, and carry with them in the future.
During the panelist discussion, he stressed that AP reporters are not technology experts. They are expected to be comfortable with taking video and audio and other things, but "we don't get paid extra for it," he said.
Monday, March 10, 2008
AAJA Career Workshop: Sacramento pros advise students
Last Saturday I went to an Asian American Journalists Association career workshop for students, organized by Judy Lin of the Sacramento Bee. We were asked to bring our portfolios and resumes for critiques, and more professional journalists than I can name were there ready to critique.
The panelists, led by Pamela Wu, all had unique insights to the industry. The main take-home message of the day: intern, intern, intern! Every panelist except one started their career through an internship, where they worked hard and made excellent contacts.
CBS 13's Tina Macuha from Good Morning Sacramento advised about internships, "Don't complain. When you complain, you attract other negative people to you."
Sactown Magazine co-editor Rob Turner got an internship at Harper's Magazine, "one of the best things for me," he said. He asked students not to treat an internship like a nine to five job. "Stay until the story is done," he said. When other interns are going home at 5 p.m., the intern who stays to get the work done stands out.
His wife Elyssa Lee, also co-editor at Sactown, said, "Do a good job, and you'll stand out." She started her career at Money magazine, and still writes for InStyle. She also advised tailoring cover letters to the publication, because, "we can all tell when you've just copied and pasted."
Bret Burkhart, a reporter and anchor with KGO Radio, also started with an internship. He asked how many students in the room were interested in radio. When no one raised their hands, he said, "See? That's how competitive it is." For those interested in broadcast journalism, working at a radio station could be good experience for the resume.
Newsroom Tech
What technology do the pros use in today's news coverage?
AP reporters take video and audio, but "we're not experts," said Tom Verdin, AP's Sacramento correspondent. He warned against becoming so enamored with technology that you lose sight of how to write a good story.
The Sacramento Bee's Capitol Alert staff writer and blogger Shane Goldmacher uses HTML reguarly in his blog posts for things like making words bold. "I'm no computer expert, but I'm the expert by comparison," he said. "If you know a little HTML you're miles ahead of everybody else."
Burkhart and Macuha both said it's important to connect with the engineers at a broadcasting station. When something goes wrong, everyone talks to the engineers; remember them when things go right, and they'll help you out later on.
Odds and Ends
The beat has become increasingly important in the newsroom, said Verdin, who advised students to chose one subject area of expertise that they love, such as politics or the environment. Covering the beat thoroughly will be evident in unique story clips. "Get a graduate degree, develop a contact list for that subject," he suggested.
Goldmacher treats his job interviews as a chance to not only be interviewed, but to interview the boss. "Don't work for a bad boss," he said.
Passion
All the panelists talked about the long hours they work each week.
"You will hit the pavement, you will get pounded," Wu said. "We all still do it because we love it."
Goldmacher loves what he does because, he said, "I get paid to basically talk to people." Reporters who aren't out of the office talking to their sources aren't doing their job, he said.
The panelists, led by Pamela Wu, all had unique insights to the industry. The main take-home message of the day: intern, intern, intern! Every panelist except one started their career through an internship, where they worked hard and made excellent contacts.
CBS 13's Tina Macuha from Good Morning Sacramento advised about internships, "Don't complain. When you complain, you attract other negative people to you."
Sactown Magazine co-editor Rob Turner got an internship at Harper's Magazine, "one of the best things for me," he said. He asked students not to treat an internship like a nine to five job. "Stay until the story is done," he said. When other interns are going home at 5 p.m., the intern who stays to get the work done stands out.
His wife Elyssa Lee, also co-editor at Sactown, said, "Do a good job, and you'll stand out." She started her career at Money magazine, and still writes for InStyle. She also advised tailoring cover letters to the publication, because, "we can all tell when you've just copied and pasted."
Bret Burkhart, a reporter and anchor with KGO Radio, also started with an internship. He asked how many students in the room were interested in radio. When no one raised their hands, he said, "See? That's how competitive it is." For those interested in broadcast journalism, working at a radio station could be good experience for the resume.
Newsroom Tech
What technology do the pros use in today's news coverage?
AP reporters take video and audio, but "we're not experts," said Tom Verdin, AP's Sacramento correspondent. He warned against becoming so enamored with technology that you lose sight of how to write a good story.
The Sacramento Bee's Capitol Alert staff writer and blogger Shane Goldmacher uses HTML reguarly in his blog posts for things like making words bold. "I'm no computer expert, but I'm the expert by comparison," he said. "If you know a little HTML you're miles ahead of everybody else."
Burkhart and Macuha both said it's important to connect with the engineers at a broadcasting station. When something goes wrong, everyone talks to the engineers; remember them when things go right, and they'll help you out later on.
Odds and Ends
The beat has become increasingly important in the newsroom, said Verdin, who advised students to chose one subject area of expertise that they love, such as politics or the environment. Covering the beat thoroughly will be evident in unique story clips. "Get a graduate degree, develop a contact list for that subject," he suggested.
Goldmacher treats his job interviews as a chance to not only be interviewed, but to interview the boss. "Don't work for a bad boss," he said.
Passion
All the panelists talked about the long hours they work each week.
"You will hit the pavement, you will get pounded," Wu said. "We all still do it because we love it."
Goldmacher loves what he does because, he said, "I get paid to basically talk to people." Reporters who aren't out of the office talking to their sources aren't doing their job, he said.
Friday, March 07, 2008
Force or fragility
My husband and I were fortunate enough to travel in Hawaii on the island of Oahu last month. We went hiking on the rain forest, swam in the most amazing clear water, and soaked up sun and moisture like a pair of sponges.
The trip for me though was a tad depressing. Oahu's nature seems so fragile. The rain forest is threatened by tourism, pollution, pavement, and foreign seeds and animals. The coral reef is destroyed basically by any contact with humans. Waikiki's enthusiasm for shopping malls strikes me as terribly corrupt. The few trees we saw in the park looked lonely, because I could so easily picture them growing into a huge forest.
I'm used to sensing Nature as a powerful force. I'm used to feeling its presence. On Oahu, it had a timid, fragile presence.
I'd love to return, but try a different island next time. Somewhere with waterfalls, perhaps, where I can mistake the sound of rushing water for natural strength against Man's strangling tyranny.
For pictures of all the neat plants we saw, please visit my Picasa album here. Enjoy!
The trip for me though was a tad depressing. Oahu's nature seems so fragile. The rain forest is threatened by tourism, pollution, pavement, and foreign seeds and animals. The coral reef is destroyed basically by any contact with humans. Waikiki's enthusiasm for shopping malls strikes me as terribly corrupt. The few trees we saw in the park looked lonely, because I could so easily picture them growing into a huge forest.I'm used to sensing Nature as a powerful force. I'm used to feeling its presence. On Oahu, it had a timid, fragile presence.
I'd love to return, but try a different island next time. Somewhere with waterfalls, perhaps, where I can mistake the sound of rushing water for natural strength against Man's strangling tyranny.
For pictures of all the neat plants we saw, please visit my Picasa album here. Enjoy!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Freelance writer, freelancing
To be a writer you have to write. To be a freelancer, you have to freelance.
Allow me to emphasize that in no way should "freelance" actually involve "free." Last January I sold a story to a popular online gaming magazine. Two months later I'm still waiting for the check. (Hey, isn't a signed contract good for anything anymore?)
By far though, Paidlancing has been a very fun gig. I've enjoyed writing the newsletter for Home Tutoring Plus. I enjoy researching the topics--sustainable living and parenting/teaching methods--and find it's rewarding to delve into related projects.
I'm kick-starting my old column blog Wordslinger again, as well as keeping three fiction blogs for various role playing games. I'm also taking a break from World of Warcraft, and officially retiring the Shadow Council Strider for now.
I have joined the Asian American Journalist's Association. The local chapter here is quite active. I have no Asian heritage that I'm aware of, but luckily for me that's not a factor in membership.
Please Turn Out the Lights
I've been eying public relations jobs lately. In a shrinking, uncertain, groping-about-for-revenue industry like traditional print journalism, there is a sense of looming doom that has investors unwilling to invest in everything, from freelancing to jobs to digital media equipment.
ASAP News, a long-time leader in multimedia journalism, folded last October. Its final issue left a nonsensical yet tragic plea cross the top of the page: "Will the last person viewing this page please turn out the lights?"
ASAP began as an experiment two years ago by the AP wire service in multimedia feature presentations. Its target audience was me, the younger tech-embracing who rely on the internet for their news. Right up until the end the team delivered relevant (and irrelevant, in that quirky internet way) video, slide shows, audio, interviews, blogs, illustrations and features.
Though it sometimes was too much feature and not enough information for me, it still represented a model the larger papers could follow, I felt. It did multimedia. It did internet presence. And through the blogs and multimedia emerged a depth of coverage I'd not seen in many other places.
So what went wrong? Was there not enough traffic? Why didn't the site sell advertising? Was something wrong with their search-engine optimization? Why wasn't this monetized?
Prosper Magazine also recently folded. Its pages were full of good writing and photography. Apparently, they weren't full enough of ads.
And as I've unfortunately realized, the internet-only publication I sold to earlier this year (with original multimedia content and international following) isn't doing so well either, despite its low production cost (comparative to print).
If there's no commercial value to the product I love, perhaps it's time to invest in it the way the fine arts are supported. NPR and the BBC do it. The axe that is bottom-line driven would destroy so many valuable services, works of art and writing.
The lights are winking out, one by one.
Allow me to emphasize that in no way should "freelance" actually involve "free." Last January I sold a story to a popular online gaming magazine. Two months later I'm still waiting for the check. (Hey, isn't a signed contract good for anything anymore?)
By far though, Paidlancing has been a very fun gig. I've enjoyed writing the newsletter for Home Tutoring Plus. I enjoy researching the topics--sustainable living and parenting/teaching methods--and find it's rewarding to delve into related projects.
I'm kick-starting my old column blog Wordslinger again, as well as keeping three fiction blogs for various role playing games. I'm also taking a break from World of Warcraft, and officially retiring the Shadow Council Strider for now.
I have joined the Asian American Journalist's Association. The local chapter here is quite active. I have no Asian heritage that I'm aware of, but luckily for me that's not a factor in membership.
Please Turn Out the Lights
I've been eying public relations jobs lately. In a shrinking, uncertain, groping-about-for-revenue industry like traditional print journalism, there is a sense of looming doom that has investors unwilling to invest in everything, from freelancing to jobs to digital media equipment.
ASAP News, a long-time leader in multimedia journalism, folded last October. Its final issue left a nonsensical yet tragic plea cross the top of the page: "Will the last person viewing this page please turn out the lights?"
ASAP began as an experiment two years ago by the AP wire service in multimedia feature presentations. Its target audience was me, the younger tech-embracing who rely on the internet for their news. Right up until the end the team delivered relevant (and irrelevant, in that quirky internet way) video, slide shows, audio, interviews, blogs, illustrations and features.
Though it sometimes was too much feature and not enough information for me, it still represented a model the larger papers could follow, I felt. It did multimedia. It did internet presence. And through the blogs and multimedia emerged a depth of coverage I'd not seen in many other places.
So what went wrong? Was there not enough traffic? Why didn't the site sell advertising? Was something wrong with their search-engine optimization? Why wasn't this monetized?
Prosper Magazine also recently folded. Its pages were full of good writing and photography. Apparently, they weren't full enough of ads.
And as I've unfortunately realized, the internet-only publication I sold to earlier this year (with original multimedia content and international following) isn't doing so well either, despite its low production cost (comparative to print).
If there's no commercial value to the product I love, perhaps it's time to invest in it the way the fine arts are supported. NPR and the BBC do it. The axe that is bottom-line driven would destroy so many valuable services, works of art and writing.
The lights are winking out, one by one.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
The Christmas Spirit
This week I met two women, Emily Rank and Jillian VanTassell. Both were Salvation Army bell ringers outside Raleys in Loomis, CA. VanTassell was playing the drums, Rank was ringing the bell, and both were singing Christmas carols from time to time. The two are doing a 9-month discipleship for their church, The Rock of Roseville.
"We have a love for music but we get it from the Lord," they told me.
I happened to have my new audio recorder with me and was excited to use it. Listen in as they spread the Christmas spirit to Raleys shoppers!
"We have a love for music but we get it from the Lord," they told me.
I happened to have my new audio recorder with me and was excited to use it. Listen in as they spread the Christmas spirit to Raleys shoppers!
Friday, September 21, 2007
Google me!
I am proud to say that as of Wed., Sept. 19, 2007, when you google my name, the entire first page of results points to the real me - my blogs, my news stories, my Poynter comments, and my resume!
That first page is actually a very small piece of my online presence. None of my networking profiles appear. Not all of my blogs do either. And after almost three years writing news at the Colfax Record, there are no actual Colfax Record links listed at all.
I should chronicle the changes in my Google search results throughout my life. That would make for an interesting form of scrap book. I remember when my silly high school research projects were still links on the internet...
That first page is actually a very small piece of my online presence. None of my networking profiles appear. Not all of my blogs do either. And after almost three years writing news at the Colfax Record, there are no actual Colfax Record links listed at all.
I should chronicle the changes in my Google search results throughout my life. That would make for an interesting form of scrap book. I remember when my silly high school research projects were still links on the internet...
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Compilations
My classwork blogs, if you are interested in keeping up with them, are as follows.
Wordslinger - This is my column and review writing blog, for J 131. It is updated every Sunday night and Thursday afternoon.
Bear Wrestling - This is my blog for magazine writing, J 132. It will be less polished than the above column, as we're asked to update our classmates on the status of various projects and post drafts here.
The Shadow Council Strider - This is for a special project class. WoW is a hobby of mine, so working on these stories is a lot of fun.
I look forward to getting feedback on my writing. Be as truthful as Doc Cox from Scrubs. And hey, if you can write out a rant Cox style, more power to you...
Wordslinger - This is my column and review writing blog, for J 131. It is updated every Sunday night and Thursday afternoon.
Bear Wrestling - This is my blog for magazine writing, J 132. It will be less polished than the above column, as we're asked to update our classmates on the status of various projects and post drafts here.
The Shadow Council Strider - This is for a special project class. WoW is a hobby of mine, so working on these stories is a lot of fun.
I look forward to getting feedback on my writing. Be as truthful as Doc Cox from Scrubs. And hey, if you can write out a rant Cox style, more power to you...
Friday, August 17, 2007
A writer, writing...
Sometimes you forget that to be good at something you have to practice.
That is exactly what this project, The Strider, is all about.
It's been going for a month now, and I have learned a lot of valuable things from it. Mostly I have learned that it takes incredible courage to do your own project--and the courage necessary must multiply tenfold when investing in your own business. I am fortunate that I don't have to gamble money on my little writing venture this summer. As it is, I have nearly backed out of this project more times than I can count. My husband and my friends have patiently encouraged me; they have not allowed me to quit on myself.
There are weeks when I spend so much time on this project that the 9 hours a week required to do it for college credit feels like it would be a vacation. There are weeks in which all my efforts seem to have accomplished nothing. But things are getting easier as I go. Creating a readership from a single community is harder than it sounds!
I can't say I'm not proud of my work, but I know it could be better than it is, so I'll keep plugging away at it. I hope I find the time during this semester to keep writing and raising the quality of the site to something akin to how I imagine it could be.
If I ever started my own business I would not be a workaholic--I would be a perfectionist. They have different motivations but the same end result...
That is exactly what this project, The Strider, is all about.
It's been going for a month now, and I have learned a lot of valuable things from it. Mostly I have learned that it takes incredible courage to do your own project--and the courage necessary must multiply tenfold when investing in your own business. I am fortunate that I don't have to gamble money on my little writing venture this summer. As it is, I have nearly backed out of this project more times than I can count. My husband and my friends have patiently encouraged me; they have not allowed me to quit on myself.
There are weeks when I spend so much time on this project that the 9 hours a week required to do it for college credit feels like it would be a vacation. There are weeks in which all my efforts seem to have accomplished nothing. But things are getting easier as I go. Creating a readership from a single community is harder than it sounds!
I can't say I'm not proud of my work, but I know it could be better than it is, so I'll keep plugging away at it. I hope I find the time during this semester to keep writing and raising the quality of the site to something akin to how I imagine it could be.
If I ever started my own business I would not be a workaholic--I would be a perfectionist. They have different motivations but the same end result...
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Roleplayers in Iraq
If you're a Penny Arcade fan, you've seen this already: a story about roleplaying soldiers in Iraq. I'm delighted they are organized enough to be able to dungeon-crawl together, and especially delighted that Penny Arcade has taken up their cause.
We roleplayers need a PR firm to help explain to the public the benefits of roleplaying. Too many people see D and D as either too nerdy or too evil. We do good stuff! We're cool too! And in my supreme eloquence, you too have come to understand why roleplaying is awesome. Right?
Ok, ok. Show of hands. How many people actually know what roleplaying is? Roleplaying is unlike anything most people have experienced, and so to qualify it in understandable terms is hard.
It's like an oral choose-your-own-adventure book, with a storyteller who orates the world around you. But roleplaying stories are so much more flexible and fluid than those books. Characters are unique, and can grow and change within the course of a story. My storyteller has to spend a lot of time creating the people, places, and plots to make these stories fun and interactive... all these attributes are unique, and can be difficult to express succinctly. There is nothing quite like roleplaying.
I've learned valuable skills from roleplaying. I am better able to problem-solve, both on my own and in groups. I have learned how to better communicate. (I'm still learning that one!) I can work with rules and numbers much more than I could before. I can understand a variety of viewpoints; I can become a variety of characters. I am often challenged to play a character that is a better leader, a better thinker, or a better communicator than I am - a process which keeps me reaching for new heights in my personal life. I've also learned a lot about my own weaknesses. I've had to organize events, or play key roles in events, that give me good practice for things I might have to do someday. Or maybe they give me experience in roles that I never will fulfill in real life, but was able to experience thanks to the game. I'll likely never be a politician in real life, but I can certainly play one and experience similar challenges through roleplaying.
One thing roleplaying does for me is it gives me the experience of responding to a situation. In the wake of Virginia Tech's school shootings, everyone on campus was asking, "How safe are we? What would we do if this happened to us?" It is a healthy excersize in both personal and schoolwide emergency response... and we all get better with practice.
Roleplaying is also a bonding experience. When my group overcomes a challenge because our characters have worked together cohesively with a common goal, we feel satisfaction. When it comes time to solve the next problem--in game or real life--we have shared context to draw upon, experience working together, and knowledge of who can do what best.
What have you noticed about the public's perception of roleplaying?
We roleplayers need a PR firm to help explain to the public the benefits of roleplaying. Too many people see D and D as either too nerdy or too evil. We do good stuff! We're cool too! And in my supreme eloquence, you too have come to understand why roleplaying is awesome. Right?
Ok, ok. Show of hands. How many people actually know what roleplaying is? Roleplaying is unlike anything most people have experienced, and so to qualify it in understandable terms is hard.
It's like an oral choose-your-own-adventure book, with a storyteller who orates the world around you. But roleplaying stories are so much more flexible and fluid than those books. Characters are unique, and can grow and change within the course of a story. My storyteller has to spend a lot of time creating the people, places, and plots to make these stories fun and interactive... all these attributes are unique, and can be difficult to express succinctly. There is nothing quite like roleplaying.
I've learned valuable skills from roleplaying. I am better able to problem-solve, both on my own and in groups. I have learned how to better communicate. (I'm still learning that one!) I can work with rules and numbers much more than I could before. I can understand a variety of viewpoints; I can become a variety of characters. I am often challenged to play a character that is a better leader, a better thinker, or a better communicator than I am - a process which keeps me reaching for new heights in my personal life. I've also learned a lot about my own weaknesses. I've had to organize events, or play key roles in events, that give me good practice for things I might have to do someday. Or maybe they give me experience in roles that I never will fulfill in real life, but was able to experience thanks to the game. I'll likely never be a politician in real life, but I can certainly play one and experience similar challenges through roleplaying.
One thing roleplaying does for me is it gives me the experience of responding to a situation. In the wake of Virginia Tech's school shootings, everyone on campus was asking, "How safe are we? What would we do if this happened to us?" It is a healthy excersize in both personal and schoolwide emergency response... and we all get better with practice.
Roleplaying is also a bonding experience. When my group overcomes a challenge because our characters have worked together cohesively with a common goal, we feel satisfaction. When it comes time to solve the next problem--in game or real life--we have shared context to draw upon, experience working together, and knowledge of who can do what best.
What have you noticed about the public's perception of roleplaying?
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
A few hours' grace
I enjoy school. I enjoy learning. Sometimes, though, you just need a break.
Fitting, then, that I ditch class today and be given this fortune:
Fitting, then, that I ditch class today and be given this fortune:
A few hours' grace before the madness begins again.
It is a mad world, isn't it? Mad, mad world.Saturday, October 28, 2006
Revel CA
If you live in Sacramento, Roseville, Rocklin, or Rancho Cordova, you've seen the signs: Smallish, neon, always in the same handwriting and proclaiming the same unexplained message: Repent CA. One of the signs is constantly torn up in the grass near Hwy 50 and Bradshaw. One blogger termed this "evandalism." Sometimes you can even see a man holding the sign on various traffic- heavy corners of the Sacramento area.
I've always been curious. What does it mean, exactly? I finally googled the phenomenon today to discover RepentAmerica.com--an evagelical, anti-abortionist, anti-gay marriage movement based out of Philadelphia. Near as I can tell, people who donate to this kind of thing end up paying for the jail fines of the founder, more often than not. He's a protester at heart and revels in the conflict between "lawless sinners" (people who disagree with him--sometimes known as cops) and the "righteous."
I'm not a fan of any anti-homosexual propaganda, and this movement's founder in particular seems fairly evangelical, which also rubs me the wrong way. Most evangelics ARE "Evandalists"--so willing to spread their message and so disrespectful of other people's opinions that they will deface public buildings to support their message. These types consider Hell the ultimate threat, but true Christians are not in the religion to avoid eternal punishment. They love God for better reasons.
Human rights are a big thing for me. I choose to support homosexuality rather than discriminate against it. If that makes me a sinner, so be it. God himself couldn't make me change my mind. So instead of repenting... Let's Revel CA!
I don't know if I want to make up my own neon signs... As a joke, it's fine (actually, important) to use the same tactics Mr. Hellfire uses; personally, I dislike them. But neon signs are fairly harmless. And it's just... funny to put up a counter-sign. Much better, in fact, than tearing down the original offending sign.
Come on, California. Revel with me!
I've always been curious. What does it mean, exactly? I finally googled the phenomenon today to discover RepentAmerica.com--an evagelical, anti-abortionist, anti-gay marriage movement based out of Philadelphia. Near as I can tell, people who donate to this kind of thing end up paying for the jail fines of the founder, more often than not. He's a protester at heart and revels in the conflict between "lawless sinners" (people who disagree with him--sometimes known as cops) and the "righteous."
I'm not a fan of any anti-homosexual propaganda, and this movement's founder in particular seems fairly evangelical, which also rubs me the wrong way. Most evangelics ARE "Evandalists"--so willing to spread their message and so disrespectful of other people's opinions that they will deface public buildings to support their message. These types consider Hell the ultimate threat, but true Christians are not in the religion to avoid eternal punishment. They love God for better reasons.
Human rights are a big thing for me. I choose to support homosexuality rather than discriminate against it. If that makes me a sinner, so be it. God himself couldn't make me change my mind. So instead of repenting... Let's Revel CA!
I don't know if I want to make up my own neon signs... As a joke, it's fine (actually, important) to use the same tactics Mr. Hellfire uses; personally, I dislike them. But neon signs are fairly harmless. And it's just... funny to put up a counter-sign. Much better, in fact, than tearing down the original offending sign.
Come on, California. Revel with me!
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Blogs as investigative news tools, PR mouthpieces, and freedom fighters
I know Rep. Mark Foley is old news by now. I thought I knew everything about it until I saw Poynter's article reflecting on the investigative story. Did you know ABC broke the news on Brian Ross's Blog? According to an interview with Brian Ross, ABC got the story by calling for sources on their Web site. More than one former page came forward with IM chatlogs hours after the appeal was posted. When ABC confronted the Rep? He didn't even squirm. He resigned a few hours later.
Though I think he made the right choice, I am a little disapointed he chose not to fight the legality of these charges. I have no idea how something like this could be proved in court. They'd have to ascertain that 1) Foley's screen-name of "maf54" was indeed representative of Foley's virtual self and 2) that no one else had access to the Rep.'s screen name... Right? I mean... these chat logs are three years old, some of them. Chat logs are easy enough to fake and the Net is anonymous. I guess I just worry that flimsy virtual evidence can be used in court. In this case, I'm not doubting his guilt, and I'm glad I don't have to. But computer crimes are still pretty new in court. What presedence has been set?
Another interesting Blog tidbit: Sac State has a blog "for students" that has turned out to be just a PR mouthpiece about "why I chose Sac State." Can I trust a student blogger who has agreed to ty to make Sac State look good? No! It's another example of an industry trying to be hip and they really do it all wrong. Grr! Arg! It makes me want to rebel and proclaim to the world how much Sac State does wrong.
In further blog news, Gutterblog from China has begun to blog again. She's a "reporter without borders" and she's the voice of freedom in that often-censored part of the world; check her out sometime!
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Casual vs. priorities, and yay for the online world
I spent this last weekend in Sequoya with my husband, neighbors, friend, and three people I met online. We rented a cabin in the middle of nowhere, cooked about five times as much food as we needed to, played on the big trees, roleplayed with our dice, and stayed up at least until 2 in the morning each night just talking to each other.
It was fantastic. And none of us got axed to death!
I have been interacting with these folks online for almost two years. To see them face-to-face was fairly incredible. We've probably eaten more virtual food together than we could ever in real life. We managed to try to meet once a week online (sometimes more than that!) for almost two years. I don't even see my little sister that much! But the form of our hanging out--that is, hopping online for a few hours--is so much easier than driving anywhere. It was a casual game, so scheduling conflicts weren't so much of an issue. And unlike email or letters, our chatting was immediate... no waiting around for someone to remember to write back.
Mr. Althouse recently blogged about making social interactions a priority. And contact with other humans does have to be a priority. That priority is so much easier to follow thorugh if it's casual. What does that mean? Am I more likely to speak to the random person in my class than I am to speak to my own mother? And why should that be true of me? ...I don't think it should be.
This fabulous trip down to a cabin in the middle of nowhere really made me think... why can't I do this with my family? The answer really is, I can. Giving the gift of time and social interaction is probably the best I can give. Times like these are precious, and create more fond memories than anything I can buy. For some reason, though, doing something as simple as calling Granny for a quick "hi" is intimidating. I find I'm "too busy"or "not in the mood."
I spent this last few days thinking about my relationship with my parents. How, in a few short years, they've had to go from providing me with food to being a distant figure in my life. What I expect and hope of our relationship is for us to be friends--to give advice, to check up on each other, and most of all, to just spend some casual time together.
It's so hard to be casual with those who are closest to us. My best friends are my neighbors; we've discovered we can spend casual time together, by just watching half an hour of TV together. My other best friends come to visit me each weekend, and we lounge in the hot-tub. The fabulous friends online we have made, are available casually through a game. But my parents don't have time to drive down each week. I can't drive up each week. If they would just use Trillian each evening...
We really reveled in our geekiness this weekend. We shared in-game stories and hilarious mistells. We had so much common ground based upon the cumulative hours--days--likely, months--we've spent interacting together. All that time seemed like nothing at the time... it was so easily spent, a few hours at a time.
I've got a new goal for communicating with those around me, and that is to make regular phone calls and visits, to make them so regular they become casual, and easy to do. Shy little me will be stepping out a bit. Wish me luck!
It was fantastic. And none of us got axed to death!
I have been interacting with these folks online for almost two years. To see them face-to-face was fairly incredible. We've probably eaten more virtual food together than we could ever in real life. We managed to try to meet once a week online (sometimes more than that!) for almost two years. I don't even see my little sister that much! But the form of our hanging out--that is, hopping online for a few hours--is so much easier than driving anywhere. It was a casual game, so scheduling conflicts weren't so much of an issue. And unlike email or letters, our chatting was immediate... no waiting around for someone to remember to write back.
Mr. Althouse recently blogged about making social interactions a priority. And contact with other humans does have to be a priority. That priority is so much easier to follow thorugh if it's casual. What does that mean? Am I more likely to speak to the random person in my class than I am to speak to my own mother? And why should that be true of me? ...I don't think it should be.
This fabulous trip down to a cabin in the middle of nowhere really made me think... why can't I do this with my family? The answer really is, I can. Giving the gift of time and social interaction is probably the best I can give. Times like these are precious, and create more fond memories than anything I can buy. For some reason, though, doing something as simple as calling Granny for a quick "hi" is intimidating. I find I'm "too busy"or "not in the mood."
I spent this last few days thinking about my relationship with my parents. How, in a few short years, they've had to go from providing me with food to being a distant figure in my life. What I expect and hope of our relationship is for us to be friends--to give advice, to check up on each other, and most of all, to just spend some casual time together.
It's so hard to be casual with those who are closest to us. My best friends are my neighbors; we've discovered we can spend casual time together, by just watching half an hour of TV together. My other best friends come to visit me each weekend, and we lounge in the hot-tub. The fabulous friends online we have made, are available casually through a game. But my parents don't have time to drive down each week. I can't drive up each week. If they would just use Trillian each evening...
We really reveled in our geekiness this weekend. We shared in-game stories and hilarious mistells. We had so much common ground based upon the cumulative hours--days--likely, months--we've spent interacting together. All that time seemed like nothing at the time... it was so easily spent, a few hours at a time.
I've got a new goal for communicating with those around me, and that is to make regular phone calls and visits, to make them so regular they become casual, and easy to do. Shy little me will be stepping out a bit. Wish me luck!
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Fair Trade Trick-or-Treat: End Child Slavery
Halloween is likely my favorite holiday of the year. I get to dress up (you're never too old to dress up!), kids get yummy candy, and the spooky/gothy/arcane is IN in a fun way!
Global Exchange has just made it even more special with its "Fair Trade Trick or Treat" package. It's a campaign designed to promote Fair Trade awareness. It comes with Fair Trade chocolate and postcards to hand out. How awesome is that?
The chocolate industry is a pretty scary one. We're used to thinking of slavery as a thing of the past--let alone child slavery! Yet on cocoa farms in the Ivory Coast, children between the ages of 5 and 14 are stolen from their homes and forced to work on plantations that harvest cocoa . That cocoa is then bought by companies such as Nestle, Hersey's, and M and M's. (You can read a PDF of Global Exchange's 2005 report here.)
Fair Trade chocolate isn't easy to find. Global Exchange has a list of online vendors. Trader Joes may also sell fair-trade chocolate. (I'll have to double-check that. It's a good excuse to go chocolate-shopping.) ;) But if you plan to be passing out the goods this Halloween, please consider offering Fair Trade treats!
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Third Time's the Charm?
Vrooooom!
I like my car. It gets me to work and school; mostly it's great because I can listen to music instead of trying to avoid catching the gaze of other people on public transit.
Sometime last night it was stolen.
Now, this makes the third time someone has stolen a car that I drive.
My best friends were cool enough to give me a ride to school. Then to get home, we walked ten miles uphill (well, ok, maybe half a mile across flatland) to the lightrail station. On the way home we were forced to delay (for drinks and a sandwhich). When we were finally on our way again, we had to listen to the obligatory madman rant. (Sometheing about the apocalypse and how to bug old people with bad French and racism all rolled into one.)
My friend and I found it this afternoon in the very same parking lot from which it had been taken. It was missing change, but the radio, CD player, CDs, etc., were all still intact... as was the engine. Whew!
All in all it was an adventure... An adventure I've repeated three times before. My Saturn got stolen and found twice. What I --almost--enjoyed about this time was how in control I felt.
I knew I could take public transit and still be able to get to work and school. I could still control my life and my livelihood without too much extra pain. That's a nice feeling!
But not having to listen to madman rants is definately a huge plus. Vrooooom!
I like my car. It gets me to work and school; mostly it's great because I can listen to music instead of trying to avoid catching the gaze of other people on public transit.
Sometime last night it was stolen.
Now, this makes the third time someone has stolen a car that I drive.
My best friends were cool enough to give me a ride to school. Then to get home, we walked ten miles uphill (well, ok, maybe half a mile across flatland) to the lightrail station. On the way home we were forced to delay (for drinks and a sandwhich). When we were finally on our way again, we had to listen to the obligatory madman rant. (Sometheing about the apocalypse and how to bug old people with bad French and racism all rolled into one.)
My friend and I found it this afternoon in the very same parking lot from which it had been taken. It was missing change, but the radio, CD player, CDs, etc., were all still intact... as was the engine. Whew!
All in all it was an adventure... An adventure I've repeated three times before. My Saturn got stolen and found twice. What I --almost--enjoyed about this time was how in control I felt.
I knew I could take public transit and still be able to get to work and school. I could still control my life and my livelihood without too much extra pain. That's a nice feeling!
But not having to listen to madman rants is definately a huge plus. Vrooooom!
Sunday, September 03, 2006
The King's Arena
The Bee has a very interesting opinion piece on the attention their columns have gotten, particularly on one issue: should the city of Sacramento help fund the construction of a larger arena? This was a look at whether or not the paper was being fair on the issue.
Columnists "are paid to have an opinion," the editor said. The news stories were all fair and balanced, but columnists were largely critical of building an arena.
The question that comes to my mind is this: is the paper required to publish the opinions of both sides? Prosper Magazine has blogs on both sides of the issue. That seems balanced. Should the Bee have done that?
I don't have an answer, but I do know this: if I were the editor, I'd like to say we had printed a point-counterpoint piece like that. I can defend that much more easily than "columnists are paid to have opinions." Isn't the paper supposed to be the voice of all?
Despite that, I'd have to agree with the Bee columnists... a city-subsidized sports arena where we already have the adequate Arco Arena is asking too much of us. I do NOT want to pay for a new stadium.
What do you think? I know more than just Michael read my blogs, so POST!
Columnists "are paid to have an opinion," the editor said. The news stories were all fair and balanced, but columnists were largely critical of building an arena.
The question that comes to my mind is this: is the paper required to publish the opinions of both sides? Prosper Magazine has blogs on both sides of the issue. That seems balanced. Should the Bee have done that?
I don't have an answer, but I do know this: if I were the editor, I'd like to say we had printed a point-counterpoint piece like that. I can defend that much more easily than "columnists are paid to have opinions." Isn't the paper supposed to be the voice of all?
Despite that, I'd have to agree with the Bee columnists... a city-subsidized sports arena where we already have the adequate Arco Arena is asking too much of us. I do NOT want to pay for a new stadium.
What do you think? I know more than just Michael read my blogs, so POST!
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Issues Facing America
Prosper magazine is sponsoring a blog team to go to the event "All About Us." Cheech Marin, Tom Daschle, Dave Barry, Bob Dole (!) , Soledad O'Brien (CNN) and Thomas Ridge (Homeland Security) will be speaking on the issues that face America's future. I get to go... and blog!
For my first blog, I'll be discussing what I feel the important issues facing America are. So I thought I'd ask my readers: What are they?
I know what you're thinking. Lacey, come on, our steps to making this country better are obvious!
1. Get Dubya out of the White House.
2. Keep the Bushes out of the White House.
3.
4. Profit!
What would make this country successful is if we actually practiced the democracy we're so gallantly forcing on everyone else. No Diebold voting machines. No Supreme Court picking the president. Our forefathers may have been afraid of the popular vote, but folks today are educated. Let's treat them that way!
...Wait... is one man The Issue facing America's future? I'd like to think the world will move on after 2008. In 2008 we'll have far more noble concerns than whether or not our president was "really" elected. Like, promoting fair trade in a largely capitalist world economy. Or maybe having a foreign policy that doesn't make us pretend to be Canadian when we travel. What do you think? What is The Issue we face?
My blog will be judged based on the quality of traffic I attract to the Web site, so please practice giving me feedback now. ;) Thanks!
For my first blog, I'll be discussing what I feel the important issues facing America are. So I thought I'd ask my readers: What are they?
I know what you're thinking. Lacey, come on, our steps to making this country better are obvious!
1. Get Dubya out of the White House.
2. Keep the Bushes out of the White House.
3.
4. Profit!
What would make this country successful is if we actually practiced the democracy we're so gallantly forcing on everyone else. No Diebold voting machines. No Supreme Court picking the president. Our forefathers may have been afraid of the popular vote, but folks today are educated. Let's treat them that way!
...Wait... is one man The Issue facing America's future? I'd like to think the world will move on after 2008. In 2008 we'll have far more noble concerns than whether or not our president was "really" elected. Like, promoting fair trade in a largely capitalist world economy. Or maybe having a foreign policy that doesn't make us pretend to be Canadian when we travel. What do you think? What is The Issue we face?
My blog will be judged based on the quality of traffic I attract to the Web site, so please practice giving me feedback now. ;) Thanks!
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