Obama's Anger

Looks like another round of Clintonian panhandling about the 'Pastorgate Crisis' (on a side note, the *gate cliche needs to die a horrible death).

I read an article by Frank James from the Baltimore Sun Tribune entitled "Can Obama Show Real Anger?" James argued that Obama's recent televised renunciation of his former pastor Jeremiah Wright lacked the anger that was needed:

James writes (abridged):

Does Sen. Barack Obama ever cut loose and let his anger and, more broadly, his emotions show? And if not, what is that about and will voters go for a candidate who always seems buttoned down?

If ever there were a perfect opportunity for Obama to really show what most people would recognize as anger, it was yesterday, the day after his former pastor Jeremiah Wright's histronics at the National Press Club.

Then a man the candidate once counted as important to his life, his former pastor, essentially calls Obama an opportunistic, say-anything-to-win politician and appears intent on doing everything he can to sink his former congregant's chances.

Candidates have been driven to public displays of ire over less. And it may have helped some voters connect with more since most people would understand a candidate getting "fired up," as Obama might say, over such a perceived betrayal as Wright's.

While some reporters in the room said they saw glimpsed anger, watching on television it was very hard to see. What was more apparent was pique. Obama seemed very tamped down. He didn't even appear to be doing a slow burn.

Because I'm guessing many Americans want to see some fight in their presidential candidates. They want a president who at times will kick a little you-know-what and take names if the situation calls for it. A candidate needs to show that ability.

[Americans] want to see anger when it should be there, a popping vein on the forehead, and a well-aimed "How dare he!" They want to know the man or woman they choose to be president has not just the head for a fight, but the heart for it.

I tried leaving a comment on his article page, but apparently the web page doesn't work. Which is a bit ridiculous considering the premise of their blog, The Swamp, is to interface the reporters with the community.

I watched the NYT video of Obama's speech, and he appeared clearly angry. His rhetoric was forceful and to the point. But he was, as James said, also tamped down.

Personally, I see that as a good quality that will avoid a burnout like Howard Dean. A leader needs to keep a cool head despite adversity, and leave the vein-popping to the Marines. If a candidate snaps over something this minor, how are they going to handle a real crisis?

A Little Classical Music

I recently put together a playlist of exceptional Classical music performances that are available on YouTube, and I've been listening to it while I do paperwork and sift through photos.

While by no means does this list comprise all of the excellent examples of Classical music on YouTube, I'd like to think that it does have some of the best.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Supanchick Article Reflection

I have a couple things I wanted to say about writing the article on Tyke Supanchick.

First, it was quite interesting in the courtroom. Many people were rather emotional, and the atmosphere was very different from other trials I’ve been involved with.

It also gave me a chance to wear a good suit, and I was disappointed to see that most journalists did not follow suit (though Meghan from KVAL was an exception). I understand that it is just work to most people, but frankly I thought it disrespectful towards a man whose life was on the line.

Writing the article was relatively quick, though it was difficult to cram all the quotes I wanted in there. I ended up cutting out a good kicker because it made the article appear overly biased towards the prosecution. I bolstered the defense statements a bit, but it wasn’t until I found out the defense attorney’s name that I was satisfied.

Overall, most people who read my article found it slightly biased either towards the defense or the prosecution, which I understand is a good indication of neutrality.

I submitted the article to the Creswell Chronicle and the Junction City Tri-County News, which is why the article has a dateline, etc. However, the editor there had the following to say:

Tristan,

I appreciate that you wish to contribute to our newspaper, but it is customary in the industry not to accept freelance work on hard news stories such as the Supanchick trial.

Feature stories are a different matter though. We may accept features if they are current and within our coverage area.

Again, thanks for your interest.

Cheers,
Phil

The Corvallis Gazette-Times published the AP story a couple days later, which makes me think I should have submitted it there as well, but I just wasn’t sure how to go about doing that. Later I found that jurors had read and posted on this blog, and then I got a critique from Prof. Rea, who I BCCed the article.

All in all it was a very educational experience, and one that I enjoyed very much. I hope for as much success tomorrow at the Lane County budget hearing. The Creswell Chronicle sounded interested in that story, because it is part of Lane County, so hopefully I’ll get a clip.

Smile

I thought long and hard about what I wanted to post today (at least ten minutes!). I decided to leave the hard stuff to the hardliners, and shamelessly steal a post from Boing Boing. These ballet dancers just keep making me smile. Enjoy.

Journal XVII

Journal Entry 17: Phelps Family Documentary

The BBC’s Louis Theroux released his documentary “The Most Hated Family in America” almost a year ago, but it has taken a while for news of it to percolate over to the US, where it was never published on television. It was brought to my attention by the Phelps’ protest of the death of actor Heath Ledger. I think that it is a fascinating look at the Phelps family, but also at documentary interview journalism.

Here’s a temperate British journalist who is interviewing one of America’s most controversial families. The Phelps have been renowned for their aggressive evangelism, and can count one journalist among their frightening converts. Pastor Fred Phelps is a notoriously difficult interviewee, yet Theroux manages to do a fantastic documentary despite all that. He spends three weeks with the family, and walks away with film that they love and the rest of the Western world seems shocked at.

I think that it is clear he managed to do all this due to his charming attitude. His ability to show them that he just wants to put out their story, without any judgment on his part, is what won them over. That, and the human quality of seeing yourself as you want to be seen.

One clear example would be seen in Theroux’s interactions with one of the younger Phelps who was pretty clearly flirting with him 80% of the time. I mean, she started mimicking his accent, asked her mum to go to coffee with him and opened up with him much more than the others did.

Louis Theroux’s journalistic style is worthy of study and emulation.

Supanchick Trial Coverage

Today I went to the Lane County Circuit Court to cover a judicial case for my reporting class. I stayed about two hours, then raced back to the computer lab to put together 800 words for the article. I wanted to get the thing done by 1700, a common deadline in newspapers, and I managed to do so with about 30 minutes to spare.

I sent the article to my professor and a couple newspapers, but I haven't heard back from anyone.


Jury Considers Capital Punishment for Supanchick

Eugene, Ore. - The Supanchick murder trial entered the sentencing phase Tuesday, after ex-Navy corpsman Tyke Thomas Supanchick, 30, was found guilty on April 18 of killing his estranged wife Kelly Supanchick, 25. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in this case.

The sentencing began with an extended opening statement by the defense, which laid out their case against execution, and repeated their requests for the 12-person jury to be “rational.”

“The first part of the case was driven by emotion,” the defense attorneys said, “but this part is about judgment. His life is in your hands.”

Their opening statement continued by talking about Supanchick’s service in the military and his work in the community, which has continued during his time in prison. The defendant has mentored and tutored other inmates throughout his incarceration, according to the defense attorneys.

“This young man has spent all of his life in service,” the attorneys said. “Nothing can punish him any more than he is being punished. And he welcomes it.”

The defense argues that the murder was entirely out of character for Supanchick, and should not be viewed as evidence of future dangerousness. They said that the trial up to that point had been about trying to explain how something can happen so quickly when he had “led an exemplary life.”

According to the defense lawyers, the defendant accepts that he is “absolutely responsible” for the death. However they cautioned the jury about the impact of an execution upon Supanchick’s five brothers, mother and father.

“This has destroyed them. Truly, truly destroyed.”

The prosecution responded with impassioned testimony by the victim’s parents, Howard Jackson and Beatrice Schwartzman.

“Having your kid murdered makes you question whatever belief system you might have,” Schwartzman said. “Because that is not how it is supposed to work.”

When she heard about her daughter’s death, Schwartzman thought there must have been a misunderstanding.

“It didn’t go in, it’s like it bounced off my head.”

Both parents describe her as a happy, competitive “tomboy,” who was a good mother. She joined the Navy in 2001, and was part of the ceremonial guard in Washington, DC, before receiving a medical discharge for a “circulation problem,” according to Jackson.

Howard Jackson and his wife Sue have legally adopted their granddaughter, Guinevere, 4, and live with her in Topeka, Kan. Schwartzman, who lives in St. Louis, Mo., said that the girl “seems to be in pretty good shape – in spite of it all.”

“She has her ‘mom that died,’ and her ‘mom that she lives with,’” Schwartzman said.

Jackson stated that he has no intent to foster a relationship between her and the defendant. However, he said that they did have a picture of Tyke Supanchick in a personal history photo album, which Guinevere was free to look at whenever she wanted.

“I am not going to lie about [her mother’s death],” Jackson said. “I am going to sugarcoat it.”

After the parent’s testimony, defense lawyers motioned for summary judgment by the judge, citing insufficient evidence of future dangerousness of the defendant. The court adjourned while the defense readied their video testimony in support of the motion.

Kelly Supanchick filed a restraining order against Tyke Supanchick a month prior to the shooting, citing personal threats and worries about two loaded guns in their house. The two were involved in a custody battle over their 18-month-old daughter. Supanchick entered his wife’s home on Dec. 23, 2005, armed with a shotgun, a large knife, duct tape and rubber gloves. Hours later, police arrived at the duplex after being alerted by his father.

Officer Richard Bremer testified that he peered through a window and saw that Kelly Supanchick was bound and in need of help, so police attempted to kick down the door. Tyke Supanchick shot the victim several times in the head and body, killing her, then surrendered to police.

The Supanchick trial is the first Oregon death penalty case held since the US Supreme Court ended its seven months long de facto moratorium on the death penalty on April 16. In a 7 – 2 opinion, the court ruled that correctly administered lethal injection did not constitute “cruel and unusual punishment.”

If sentenced to be executed, Supanchick would join 35 men sitting on death row. However, Oregon has only exercised capital punishment twice in the last 32 years, and there are no scheduled executions.

The trial, before Lane County Circuit Judge Gregory Foote, is expected to conclude within a week.

Johnny Lee's Amazing Wii (remote)

I thought I had mentioned TED before, but apparently I haven't.

In short, it is amazing.

This latest TED video is a short demo by researcher Johnny Lee that has spread like wildfire over major web hot spots like Digg, YouTube and BoingBoing (where I picked it up). Millions have already seen his research, a statistic that might instigate a revolution in science marketing all by itself.

His easy, intuitive use of commercial off the shelf technology is mind blowing, and potentially revolutionary. Using little more than the infrared sensor on a Nintendo Wii remote, Lee shows how simple it can be to create highly sophisticated tools - such as a projected touchscreen digital white board, or eye-tracking virtual three dimensional spaces.

Sound technical? Probably. But it is certainly impressive, and it could hit the commercial and educational markets faster than you might expect.

Journal Entry XVI

Journal Entry 16: Berkeley Article

The New York Times recently ran an article detailing the ongoing protests over at the Marine recruiting center at the Berkeley campus. Code Pink, a feminist anti-war group, has been blocking access to the center and calling for the Marines to be ejected from Berkeley. Things came to a head when the City Council made a resolution calling for the Marines to leave, which coincided with an upsurge in protesting.

The resolution was eventually rescinded and apologized for, but news of the event went all over the country. Personally, I was very frustrated by the actions of the Code Pink group, which I see as being counter-productive to the peace movement as a whole. Though this gets more into public relations than hard journalism, I’d like to outline my problems with their campaign.

1. Protest to the people who are actually capable of effecting change. The street recruiter and his civilian secretary aren't capable of changing DOD policy or bringing the troops home. Go talk to a Congressional representative or senator if you want to advocate change; find a corporate sponsor to fund a lobbyist. There are thousands of better people to protest to than a campus NCO recruiter.

2. Actually get involved with politics, meaning run / support someone running for state office. Far too many people seem willing to spend a few hours yelling about government fascists or whatever, but balk at actually going into politics. Don't just talk. Act.

3. Seek public support in realistic ways. Find common ground with people in order to show them that you are attempting to achieve similar goals that are both good and achievable. The only difference between the anti-war movement and the military is perspective and responsibility, neither really wants to be in Iraq and neither has the ability to stop it by themselves.

4. Recognize the full implications of the policy changes you advocate. If you want to disband the military, then how is the state supposed to defend itself against natural disasters, domestic unrest or foreign invasion? If you want an isolationist policy, what should the state do when the next Kuwait / Rwanda / Somalia / Darfur occurs? How will the economy be affected, and how will the poor be affected? What are the full risks and potential benefits of these decisions, and how likely are they to occur?

5. Find a way to communicate your opinions in ways that are neither insulting nor sloganistic. The left is filled with far too many people who love to throw down these ridiculous back-handed superior comments instead of a real message. They don't even attempt any real dialogue, because they are too busy pigeonholing their target into an imaginary corner where any disagreement implies they support fascism or racism, and usually both.

San Francisco Protests

Thanks to the power of the Internet, here is local amateur coverage of the protests in San Francisco earlier today. It doesn't get any better than this (or jerkier and un-narrated).

Olympic Hide and Seek

In an event that has been called "weird" and "bizarre," the San Francisco leg of the Olympic Torch run is over. Tens of thousands of spectators waited along the bank of the Bay Area - but a last minute series of baits and switches ensured that they never were able to support or protest the flame.

Citing safety concerns and an "disproportional amount of people near the start of the relay," the Olympic organizers, along with the San Francisco city government, moved the event to the other side of town - effectively running away from the protesters. This is despite the Chinese government shipping thousands of their exchange students in from nearby colleges to counter-protest.

The San Francisco Gate told the story best: it was less a relay and more like keep away.

Personally, I want to point out a couple highlights: The organizers lit the torch then hid in a warehouse before driving two miles away to an isolated area, then concluded the event shortly after on a stretch of empty highway. Also, apparently carrying the Tibetan flag is now a crime - anyone who attempted to bear the flag was arrested, which includes torchbearer Majora Carter who hid a flag under her sleeve and was stripped of the torch and pushed into the crowd when she pulled it out.

If the torch relay is indicative of how the Beijing Games will treat the public, then I have no interest in watching it, nor in the United States attending the games. If China cannot tolerate free speech about a sporting event, then they have a lot further to go than I thought they did.

In the end though, my thoughts turn to the Olympic Trials coming here to Eugene in just over two months - no amount of blue-jumpsuited Chinese paramilitaries will be able to play keep away with all of Hayward Field.

Journal Entry XV

Journal Entry 15: In-class Interviews

The in-class interviews over the last three weeks have been interesting. They have been successful for the most part, but they have also been challenging. Vicki and Elizabeth were difficult interviewees in different ways, but perhaps that is simply a factor of any interview.

Vicki’s interview was very interesting, but it also was hard to narrow down. Her breadth of specific knowledge and responsibility made it difficult to find a coherent path of discussion. Even after concerted effort, the interview seemed to ramble on from questions about Mount St. Helens, to questions of policy, to modern prevention methods, to contemporary examples, and finally to the somewhat painful questions of basic organization (which felt entirely pro forma and designed to run down the clock).

Fortunately, these difficulties were mitigated by her willingness to spend as much time as was needed to answer any questions we had. This allowed the sometimes broadly fielded queries to be answered completely while leaving time for the more central topics. I really enjoyed being able to ask her questions about DOGAMI and the rest, I only wish I had been able to narrow down my focus.

Elizabeth was a different kind of interview. She was equally friendly and knowledgeable, but sometimes difficult to follow. I felt unsure of the extent of what she was talking about, only that her business was in Public Relations and her interview was on conducting business interviews. I felt that she would have done better with a more comprehensive lecture, because when the time came (quickly) for questions I was left without enough information to have any specific questions.

The questions I did ask were terribly reaching, and the awkward comment about satellites only worsened the situation. Still, I felt it was worse to have a total silence in the classroom, so I figured I would ask her some general questions while I worked out a more topical one.

In the end, I would consider her an amiable interviewee, but also a difficult one. While these are doubtlessly excellent traits as a press relations representative, they make for frustrating classroom discussions.

Madonna Album

On a note that is usually not covered here at Excess Opinion, some music news.

Madonna, the Queen of Pop as well as reinvention, is in the process of releasing her eleventh studio album. The fifty year old singer teamed up with Justin Timberlake for an "urban hip-hop feel" (and no doubt to help rejuvenate her image).

Might not think this is news? Remember, Madonna remains one of the biggest singers out there, and is often considered something of Bellwether for the pop music scene. Where she goes an industry quakes in her footsteps.

If I am to judge, her latest album signifies another generation of hip-hop artists is on the way.

Heat Protests Indeed

I've been trying to come up with a good way of mentioning the recent protests along the Olympic torch route, but I haven't been able to come up with more than some YouTube videos. That is, until I saw the headline for the Washington Post's latest take on the story: Olympic Torch Attracts Heated Protests.

Someone is a clever bastard.

Apparently this story hasn't got enough play in the US media markets, because many of the people I've spoken with have had little knowledge of what is going on.

Thousands are practicing civil disobedience in an effort to damper the spirits of the Chinese government organizing this year's summer Olympic games. While the torch has only been lit for a few days, it has already been doused several times, and dozens have been arrested in connection with the contentious runs through London and Paris. San Francisco is next, and clearly will be the site of the biggest showdown between the heavily guarded torchbearers and the citizens who are irate over the issue of Tibet.

Either the tens of thousands of Californian hippies and peaceniks will overwhelm the security and stop the procession in its tracks, or they will be cowed by what promises to be a massive police presence (and not those French police on Rollerblades either).

It will be the only stop in the United States before the torch begins its epic journey through every nook and cranny of China, so Wednesday will doubtlessly be a big day in the news.

MTV Holocaust PSA

This 30 second advertisement, and others like it, are starting to gain the attention of the news media. MTV does something of a re-imagining of a Holocaust photo in order to make people 'Think'.

Bizarre. I wonder what their purpose is. Some have compared it to MTV's early days as a revolutionary medium, complete with Zach de la Rocha's "Rage Against the Machine" ethos. But MTV's modern-day corporate bedmates mean such comparisons must be taken with a grain of salt.

Dice Warz

I am newly addicted to an online flash game. Forget the Defense of the Ancients knock offs, the myriad zombie shooters or even the various 'realistic' physics games where you guide a poor snowboarder down treacherous mountains: I'm talking about Dice Wars.

This game isn't particularly new, I've heard word of it percolating around the internet for some time, but I only checked it out recently. My verdict - it cannot be put down.

Dice Wars was made popular in Japan before it crossed the language gap and launched into the larger English-speaking casual gaming market (which is huge). Many people have compared its game play to Risk, but I think there are some elements of Go as well. Players fight to control territory using semi-random dice rolls, with successful territory captures yielding a player more power but opening them up to reprisal.

But don't let me convince you, go check it out yourself.

BSG - Best Stuff Guaranteed

So this post's title might be a little lame, but Battlestar Gallactica definitely is not. The heavily awarded show is back on for its fourth and final season. It premiered last night at 2200 PST, but I didn't get a chance to watch it until this morning.

Truly excellent, and amazing. BSG has been called the best drama on television, and this season looks ready to bump it up a notch. I would definitely check it out if I were you.

Just to shill a little bit more - the Sci Fi network is offering free full episodes via its website. You can watch the season opener, many previous episodes and even full feature webisodes that are only available on the site.

If you are just starting your BSG addiction (as opposed to being an established manic like I am), you should check out the official BSG recap video. It runs about eight minutes and (very quickly) covers the basic plot of seasons one through three. Even if you have been watching the show, it makes for a good refresher - and the tongue in cheek humor is guaranteed for a laugh:

Journal Entry XIV

Journal Entry 14: Rainbow Optics interviews

The interviews for the Project Homeless Connect story were relatively successful. They really came in two parts, and it was fortunate that I went back the second time because I got a much better picture of the overall story after I went back. The first interviews were prior to the event happening, while the interviews afterward were technically after the event (I’ll explain that in a moment).

Those first interviews got me a basic idea of what was going on. I had managed to luck out and find the actual service providers on my first try, but all the doctors were busy and I had to settle with talking with the secretaries and a distracted off-duty optometrist, and then leave my number. They never called me back, leaving me to scramble for the information I had hoped to get from them.

The second interviews happened after the Thursday PHC event, but I soon learned that really the event was still going on. Due to the numbers of people who needed eye care, Rainbow Optics had held an examination and glasses fitting day on the weekend, and there were still a few holdouts who were finishing up the eye wear fitting after that. This meant I had the opportunity to speak with one of the homeless patients who was getting his new glasses, though I had difficulty actually interjecting the interview into the PHC article (since it was supposed to be an advancer).

I also had a chance to speak with the owner of Rainbow Optics, Sheila Abbott, who seemed an enthusiastic supporter of the PHC event and was glad to speak with me about her involvement with the project. All told, it was a successful round of interviews, particularly for a story that was meant to be something of a puff piece.