Print This Post Print This Post

Dec

26

Valdis Krebs networks patterns of political book buying

Filed Under Culture, Government, Politics, Writing | 14 Comments

This network visualization of political book buying is insanely amazing. I’ve asked Valdis for a mind meld, but I’m sure I don’t have enough capacity to absorb even a one-millionth of what I’d need to think the way Valdis does. Thank goodness he thinks the way he does.

Thanks, Valdis (and Toddie Downs).

What I see:

People read what reinforces their beliefs – they are looking for affirmation that the way they think is okay and rational and justifiable. They don’t want to read anything that will shake their foundation.

I just bought three books today, none of them particularly political in the traditional sense (someone gave me Obama’s book and I haven’t read it yet; I also have The Holy Vote and I have only started it; I also have We’re All Journalists Now and I’m half way through that – I’m halfway through several books; I pulled out Gift from the Sea the other night when I was having trouble getting through some things):

The Secret Life of Bees

Three Cups of Tea

Atonement

Bookmark and Share

By Jill Miller Zimon at 8:56 pm December 26th, 2007 in Culture, Government, Politics, Writing | 14 Comments 

Print This Post Print This Post

Dec

26

Dave Barry nails it

Filed Under Culture | 6 Comments

Hindsight is 20/20: more affirmation of why it was that I double majored in government and sociology, from “Dave Barry on College”:

For sheer lack of intelligibility, sociology is far and away the number one subject. I sat through hundreds of hours of sociology courses, and read gobs of sociology writing, and I never once heard or read a coherent statement. This is because sociologists want to be considered scientists, so they spend most of their time translating simple, obvious observations into scientific-sounding code. If you plan to major in sociology, you’ll have to learn to do the same thing. For example, suppose you have observed that children cry when they fall down. You should write: “Methodological observation of the sociometrical behavior tendencies of prematurated isolates indicates that a causal relationship exists between groundward tropism and lachrimatory, or ‘crying,’ behavior forms.” If you can keep this up for fifty or sixty pages, you will get a large government grant.

Hattip to The India Uncut Blog.

Bookmark and Share

By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:00 pm December 26th, 2007 in Culture | 6 Comments 

Print This Post Print This Post

Dec

26

ODP Women’s Organizing Convention 1/12-13/08

Filed Under Announcements, Politics, Women | 2 Comments

I don’t know a lot about this event – I’m trying to get more details.  I’ll be at RootsCamp on Sunday, 1/13 but maybe I’ll try to pop over to the ODP?  Anyone going?

Bookmark and Share

By Jill Miller Zimon at 12:00 pm December 26th, 2007 in Announcements, Politics, Women | 2 Comments 

Print This Post Print This Post

Dec

26

Remains of the Year, Politics Edition

Filed Under Campaigning, Elections, Politics, Remains of the Day, Statehouse, WH2008 | 1 Comment

1. “Can candidates in 2008 truly rely on blogs to increase their portion of votes — or have most weblogs evolved into partisan echo chambers?”

2. Are political moderates tuning out, or something else? I believe intimidation and a dislike of others’ tactics are the culprits.

3. Charlie Wilson on Charlie Wilson and the movie about Charlie Wilson

4. The Rothenberg Political Report’s best and worst of politics, 2007

5. Speaking of women, they’re training up across the country and in June, in Ohio – get your applications ready ladies – but start here by trying to become a pundit

6. National Conference on State Legislatures Top 10 Issues forecast for 2008 – think it applies to Ohio?

7. Gov. Strickland and the GOP-led statehouse play nice? Eh. They’re circling, big time.

8. Play the next-president futures market

9. Project Vote Smart -a fantastic resource

10. “Political campaign spending on advertising media and marketing services is expected to soar 43 percent to an all-time high of $4.5 billion in the 2008 election cycle…” (fourth item down)

11. Lawyers lead the pack in how much they give to political candidates. Lots of charts and data.

Bookmark and Share

By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:00 am December 26th, 2007 in Campaigning, Elections, Politics, Remains of the Day, Statehouse, WH2008 | 1 Comment 

Print This Post Print This Post

Dec

26

Remains of the Year, Citizen Journalism Edition

Filed Under 'Roots News, Blogging, Media, Remains of the Day, Tech, Writing | Comments Off

1. Women bloggers want presidential candidates to listen up and not pander or else they risk losing 7.6 million votes

2. CNN’s Year-end citizen journalism wrap-up (seems a bit like an oxymoron though, no?)

3. Cyberjournalist.net’s top stories of 2007

4. Training a new generation of citizen journalists around the world (hattip to PJNet.org)

5. The Chief Source – showing how it’s done (but guys, can you figure out a tagging system or something so I could have linked to all the NH trip posts? Let me know if there’s some simple way I’m missing – which is VERY possible)

6. Investigating ourselves

7. Cyberjournalist.net provides complete audio and video of Society of Professional Journalists conference session on bloggers and journalists

Bookmark and Share

By Jill Miller Zimon at 8:00 am December 26th, 2007 in 'Roots News, Blogging, Media, Remains of the Day, Tech, Writing | Comments Off 

Print This Post Print This Post

Dec

26

Remains of the Year, Blog Buzz Edition

Filed Under Blogging, Remains of the Day, Tech | Comments Off

1. Ultimate Blogs: Masterworks from the Wild Web. Most of us can skip it, especially if you listen to the NPR piece. Yeah, I know, why didn’t we think of this? (George – that BFD book – it’s out there, I know it.)

2. Blogging is about giving. I agree 100%.

3. A list of the best newspaper blogs for comments, community and readability.

4. Automakers blog to make their point, connect with customers.

5. FOIA reform: Bloggers are journalists too – finally albeit still limited

6. Stanford profiles its state of the blogosphere and counts 60-70

7. Blogonaut’s top 10 strange but true legal stories of the year

8. ABA Journal’s Top 100 Blawgs (plenty about politics, gossip, lawyers behaving badly, etc.)

Bookmark and Share

By Jill Miller Zimon at 6:00 am December 26th, 2007 in Blogging, Remains of the Day, Tech | Comments Off 

"));