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Where Jill Will Talk Like She Writes
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The White House Project
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Nov
30
General Motors’ Roger Smith, of Roger & Me, RIP
Filed Under Business, Culture | 6 Comments
This coverage from NPR includes audio as well as an article on Roger Smith, the former Chairman and CEO of General Motors, who died today at age 82. And, although born in Columbus, he went to University of Michigan.
I loved the movie Roger & Me, even though I knew, as I watched it, that I had to accept that Michael Moore was showing one film and Roger Smith lived a life beyond that one view.
We all do - just like we blog but we live outside our blogs. We don’t know one another as well as we think, just from reading our blogs. As forthright as I may be here, it only scratches the surface of who I am. And I try to remember that when I read posts that bother me - what does the post really represent beyond the words typed? A lot, nothing, something in between?
That’s not to say that Roger Smith wasn’t an evil person, as many people who watched the movie may have concluded, not to mention all the folks in Flint, MI and beyond.
But, for example, when Capri Cafaro did Meet the Bloggers, I was determined to hear her talk about and describe what it was like to be a 20 year old whose father was on trial and then in jail, because of what she had to say, with immunity, about actions he’d taken. And for her to still have so many connections to him, and so publicly. Now that helps you go behind the music, or mayhem, or motors.
Anyway, RIP, Roger. I’m curious to read whatever, if anything, Michael Moore might have to say. Just because, and not because I expect anything in particular. What, really, could he say that he didn’t say in that movie?
By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:39 pm November 30th, 2007 in Business, Culture | 6 Comments
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Nov
30
Hoya in the ‘house? My classmate, Dennis Murray, Jr. (D) runs for Redfern’s seat
Filed Under Statehouse, Campaigning, Elections, Ohio, Announcements, Politics | 6 Comments
I just read this post on Ohio Daily Blog and I am so tickled. Dennis was one of my very first friends at Georgetown and we took at least a few classes together - I particularly remember an intro to Conlaw class that I nearly flunked (he was a MUCH better student).
I wish him much, much luck in his race and maybe, just maybe, knowing that there might be fellow Hoyas in the ‘house, maybe I’ll consider running for something - after 2015.
Hoya Saxa, baby!
Two other very, very odd coincidences are that a former law school boyfriend of mine worked for the Murray firm in the 1990s and then one of my closest friends from law school worked at the firm for a few years a little bit after that. Small world indeed.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 6:53 pm November 30th, 2007 in Statehouse, Campaigning, Elections, Ohio, Announcements, Politics | 6 Comments
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Nov
30
Some Sudanese want British teacher dead
Filed Under Social Issues, Foreign Affairs, Civil Rights, Religion | 36 Comments
Yesterday’s post on Gillian Gibbon’s odyssey as a teacher.
It’s not that I don’t understand intellectually what they’re saying their belief requires or demands. But I fail to see how the instigating incident comes anything close to demanding the penalty, if we even accept the penalty as appropriate (which is obviously more than a little “if”).
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:10 am November 30th, 2007 in Social Issues, Foreign Affairs, Civil Rights, Religion | 36 Comments
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Nov
29
The $1000 bagel & all you could want for Chanuka
Filed Under Marketing, Jewish, Judaism, Religion | 7 Comments
Yes, that’s how I spell it. I know - not a lot of people spell it that way but still, 355K isn’t to sneeze at (journalists apparently spell it Hanukkah -oy that’s look awful - maybe the fact that I don’t is what makes me just a blogger?).
Anyway - the holiday begins at sunset next Tuesday. Here are some things you can get your Jewish friends:
Hag sameach.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 6:28 pm November 29th, 2007 in Marketing, Jewish, Judaism, Religion | 7 Comments
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Nov
29
Hey, Sarah-tell us whether bloggers are journalists, while you’re at it
Filed Under Economy, Social Issues, Business, Civil Rights, Writing, Media | Leave a Comment
I don’t know - maybe she was at the start of a hunger strike - but Sarah Silverman isn’t sounding incredibly coherent on the picket lines for the WGA, but hey, I’m glad she’s out there for the um, you know - I don’t know - yeah - the writers. Watch out for the DB word - luckily, no school admins in sight. Hattip to the Bintel Blog.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 5:58 pm November 29th, 2007 in Economy, Social Issues, Business, Civil Rights, Writing, Media | Please comment
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Nov
29
British teacher & teddy bear: sentenced to 15 days in jail, deportation
Filed Under Courts, Foreign Affairs, Crime, Religion, Politics | 8 Comments
I’m speechless, but here are some reactions.
What about you?
By Jill Miller Zimon at 5:21 pm November 29th, 2007 in Courts, Foreign Affairs, Crime, Religion, Politics | 8 Comments
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Nov
29
Harvard says: 88% say campaign coverage focuses on the trivial, media overinfluences
Filed Under Politics | 4 Comments
Hattip to Wendy Hoke at Creative Ink for this post that draws attention to this Editor & Publisher article, “Study: More Than 60% Don’t Trust Campaign Coverage.” You can download the full report as a pdf here.
Other findings, according to E & P:
The findings were among those in Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership National Leadership Index. The survey, which included interviews with 1,207 adults nationwide in September, focuses mostly on leadership issues. But a portion of the findings asked about views on the media in relation to leadership, with some troubling results.
“Our survey finds a pervasive lack of confidence in the leadership of many sectors of society,” the report states. “But Americans give their lowest marks to leaders in the press. Americans are particularly dissatisfied with press coverage of the 2008 presidential campaign.”
When asked if election coverage was politically biased, 40% believed it was too liberal; 21% too conservative; and 30% found it neutral. Nine percent of those responding were not sure.
Key among the findings:
• 64% of those polled do not trust press coverage of the presidential campaign.
• 88% believe that campaign coverage focuses on trivial issues.
• 84% believe that media coverage has too much influence on American voting choices.
• 92% say it is important that the news media provide information on candidates’ specific policy plans, but 61% say the media does not provide enough coverage of policy plans.
• 89% say it is important to hear about candidates’ personal values and ethics, but 43% say there is not enough coverage of personal values and ethics.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 5:09 pm November 29th, 2007 in Politics | 4 Comments
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Nov
29
PD Openers folks having too. much. fun. I say, with Kucinich
Filed Under WH2008, Campaigning, Ohio, Media, Politics, Blogging | Leave a Comment
Now, really. I think, secretly, or not so secretly, they love writing this stuff - and who wouldn’t? I absolutely can’t blame them. But look down that left sidebar (or, if you are reading this long after it was posted, do a search on “kucinich” - see how many times “Kucinich” appears? If you’ve ever seen your post’s hits skyrocket on LeftyBlogs.com when it has “Kucinich” in the title, you know what I’m sayin’.
It’s fun to write in a format that let’s a voice come through - whatever voice it is. I refuse and will continue to refuse to believe that allowing that to happen in many instances 100% disqualifies the expression as journalism.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 1:15 pm November 29th, 2007 in WH2008, Campaigning, Ohio, Media, Politics, Blogging | Please comment
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Nov
29
Erect an Election Process: Designers Needed
Filed Under Elections, Government, Campaigning, Ohio, Announcements, Politics, Media, Blogging | 1 Comment
Okay - so maybe I miss a Google result here and there, but chances are, when I get an e-mail from someone I don’t know or about something I don’t know about, I’m going to go to Google before I do much else. Or I might e-mail a few folks, or I might do both.
So, when I received an invitation to participate in the Your Billion Dollar President project, I did just that and boy, as usual, I can’t believe they’re asking me (and, as usual, I hope they aren’t sorry that they did).
First, here’s a background piece on the very new bigger picture venture, a morning radio show from Public Radio International and WNYC (NY’s WCPN; Studio 360, On The Media, etc.).
The “they” in this case is producer Jonathan Dyer and journalist (and blogger!) John Hockenberry - do you know that records say he was the first host of Talk of the Nation? Cool. Read more
By Jill Miller Zimon at 12:24 pm November 29th, 2007 in Elections, Government, Campaigning, Ohio, Announcements, Politics, Media, Blogging | 1 Comment
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Nov
29
(Updated) Teacher allegedly insults Islam but could teddy bears named Muhammad be suspect under Violent Radicalization prevention bill?
Filed Under Foreign Affairs, Social Issues, Congress, Government, Religion, Education, Politics | 6 Comments
UPDATE: From the AP, 12:42pm today.
Warning: this is a bit of a ramble because these scenarios just keep coming and tossing sense to the wind.
The BBC has this article about a British teacher who works in a Christian school in Khartoum, Sudan but currently is in custody (though the BBC piece says she may be released very soon). She brought in a teddy bear as part of a habitat study session, asked the kids to name it and they chose Mohammad - one boy says he chose it because that is his name. According to the BBC piece, “It is seen as an insult to Islam to attempt to make an image of the Prophet Muhammad.” The offense is punishable by jail time and a fine.
Now, the U.S. Congress is considering a bill that seeks to study “violent radicalization” and “homegrown terrorism.” “Violent radicalization” is defined as “the process of adopting or promoting an extremist belief system for the purpose of facilitating ideologically based violence to advance political, religious, or social change.”
The process of adopting or promoting an extremist belief system for the purpose of facilitating ideologically based violence to advance….change. Read more
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:17 am November 29th, 2007 in Foreign Affairs, Social Issues, Congress, Government, Religion, Education, Politics | 6 Comments
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Nov
29
Carnival of Ohio Politics #93 posted
Filed Under Ohio, Carnivals, Politics, Blogging | Leave a Comment
Thank you, Ben of the Keeler Political Report.
Good reading, as always, at the Carnival of Ohio Politics, #93 this week, wow.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 8:01 am November 29th, 2007 in Ohio, Carnivals, Politics, Blogging | Please comment
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Nov
28
As The Hand Spanks - Or Not
Filed Under Crime, Social Issues, Mental health, Government, Culture, Politics | 2 Comments
First California tried this, and now Massachusetts is trying this.
But California eventually did this, so will Massachusetts end up doing the same?
Sigh.
Yeah. Same thing.
Over, and over, and over.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:58 pm November 28th, 2007 in Crime, Social Issues, Mental health, Government, Culture, Politics | 2 Comments