The General Blog of Crime

Announcement

2008-07-18T17:37:00.002-04:00

The preliminary program for ASC -St. Louis has been posted. Look for a nice write up of things to do in the STL in the next Criminologist.

Friday CJ Funnies: Razzle Dazzle 'Em

2008-07-17T16:11:00.015-04:00

I was thinking the other day about how long it's been since I've seen a stage production. Given my love of musical theatre, this is most distressing to me. So, I decided that this Friday CJ Funny would come courtesy of the Great White Way.

Originally I wanted to post ""The Crime of the Century" from Ragtime, a terrific menage-a-trois-and-murder-themed song from one of my all-time favorite musicals. ("Oh! Oh!/Harry's a jealous man/Bang! Bang!/That was the end of Stan!") Alas, I could not find a video of the Broadway cast performing this number, though I did find this clip of a summer theatre group performing it so you can at least hear the song.*

Instead, I decided to post a different (but equally great) menage-a-trois-and-murder-themed song from another one of my favorite shows: ""We Both Reached for the Gun" from Chicago. A synopsis for those who (gasp!) are unfamiliar with the plot:

Chorus girl Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger, here in the 2002 movie version) has murdered her lover and hired slick, handsome defense attorney Billy Flynn (Richard Gere) to represent her. At a press conference, Billy spins an alternate (and false) version of the murder in which Roxie acted in self-defense (because, you know, she and her ex "both reached for the gun"). This number is staged as a ventriloquist act in which Billy supplies the words coming from the mouth of his "dummy," Roxie. Naturally, the gullible press corps -- powerless before Billy's substantial charm -- gleefully laps up his story.

So please enjoy the clip, but be warned: you'll be singing this song for the rest of the day. Oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes, oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes, you will!

*To get a taste of just how amazing Ragtime is, watch the Broadway cast perform the show's opening number at the 1998 Tony Awards (at which it won Best Original Score) here.

Woot!

2008-07-16T19:50:00.005-04:00

The new season of Project Runway starts in an hour! And one of the designers this season, Joe Faris, is from The D! Represent!

That is all.

Totally Unshocking Crime Headlines, Vol. 12

2008-07-14T18:50:00.002-04:00

"Husband charged with murdering soldier wife"

It's getting to the point where I wonder why I even bother posting stories like this.

More from ABC News here.

2007 Journal Citation Reports Now Available

2008-07-11T12:25:00.010-04:00

Earlier this month Thomson Reuters published the 2007 Journal Citation Reports, allowing academics to evaluate the relative influence of various journals in their field. Using data on article citations and journal readership, the JCR "provides a systematic, objective way to evaluate the world's leading journals and their impact and influence in the global research community." I've listed the top ten journals -- ranked according to impact factor -- for various social science disciplines below. The name of the journal is followed by the impact factor in parentheses. You can search for complete JCR rankings by discipline here, though this link may not function properly for those not using a university IP address.

CRIMINOLOGY/PENOLOGY
(Rank out of 29 journals)

Criminology (2.344)
Crime & Delinquency (1.796)
Criminal Justice & Behavior (1.672)
Sexual Abuse (1.643)
Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology (1.559)
British Journal of Criminology (1.296)
Journal of Research in Crime & Delinquency (1.294)
Journal of Quantitative Criminology (1.229)
Punishment & Society (1.189)
Journal of Interpersonal Violence (1.171)

SOCIOLOGY
(Rank out of 96 journals)

American Journal of Sociology (3.338)
American Sociological Review (3.277)
British Journal of Sociology (2.449)
Annual Review of Sociology (2.400)
Global Networks (1.886)
Sociology of Health & Illness (1.759)
Journal of Marriage & the Family (1.756)
Economy & Society (1.678)
Social Networks (1.644)
Social Problems (1.577)

WOMEN'S STUDIES
(Rank out of 28 journals)

Journal of Women's Health (1.522)
Gender & Society (1.400)
Women's Health Issues (1.338)
Psychology of Women Quarterly (1.253)
Gender, Work & Organization (1.185)
Violence Against Women (1.122)
Social Politics (0.972)
European Journal of Women's Studies (0.698)
Signs (0.671)
Sex Roles (0.652)

Discuss!

Friday CJ Funnies: "I Know Him!!!" Edition

2008-07-11T07:00:00.002-04:00

Some of you may be familiar with the Comedy Central stand-up show "Live at Gotham":

Live at Gotham features the country's hottest comedians doing fresh stand-up at the Gotham Comedy Club in New York City. Each week, a new host introduces six up-and-coming comics for an hour of original comedy from the greatest city on the planet. Headliners this season include Jim Norton, Daniel Tosh, DL Hughley and others. Watch what happens when a group of the eagerest, most emerging stars of comedy get their first break in the business.

Myself, I had never heard of this program until yesterday, when my sister informed me that a guy we used to work with back in the day, Vince Averill, is one of the "emerging stars of comedy" set to appear on tonight's episode! Holy Cow!

For today's Friday CJ Funny, please enjoy this clip from Vince's routine called "Crackhead Logic". If you like what you see, tune in to Comedy Central tonight at 10 pm to see him perform live!

I Can't Believe This Story Isn't Fake

2008-07-09T08:41:00.010-04:00

AREA POLICE CRACK DOWN ON SAGGY PANTS
Local residents now have to watch their butts because
Police Chief David Dicks is on the lookout

Wouldn't you stake your life that this story comes courtesy of The Onion? Me, too....which is why it's a good thing we didn't actually stake our lives on it. Turns out this is a real, honest-to-god, not-made-up-for-satirical-purposes and apparently unintentionally hilarious story from today's Detroit Free Press.

Police "crack" down on saggy pants? Police chief "David Dicks"? Come on! How can this not be fake?!

An excerpt from this truly ridiculous story:

Dicks, who took over the department last month on an interim basis, announced that his officers would start arresting people wearing saggy pants that expose skivvies, boxer shorts or bare bottoms.
"Some people call it a fad," Dicks told the Free Press this week while patrolling the streets of Flint. "But I believe it's a national nuisance. It is indecent and thus it is indecent exposure, which has been on the books for years."
On June 27, the chief issued a departmental memorandum telling officers: "This immoral self expression goes beyond freedom of expression."
The crime, he says, is disorderly conduct or indecent exposure, both misdemeanors punishable by 93 days to a year in jail and/or fines up to $500.
Dicks, 41, broke down his interpretation of the laws as such: Pants pulled completely below the buttocks with underwear showing is disorderly conduct; saggy pants with skin of the buttocks showing is indecent exposure, and saggy pants, not completely below the buttocks, with underwear exposed results in a warning.
The American Civil Liberties Union is already scrutinizing the enforcement, something Dicks fully expected. But he said he's not backing down until the pants stop falling down.
Still, as of Tuesday, no one had been arrested for saggy pants.

Words escape me.

More on Student Writing

2008-07-08T10:22:00.008-04:00

I read last week's post about student writing with great interest (although obviously without enough energy to actually comment).

I am one of those professors who assumes that students should be able to write when they get to me (sorry, Velma). I am constantly annoyed by students who do not know how to use punctuation, capitalization, or even paragraph breaks in the appropriate manner. While I am happy to assist them with synthesizing, making connections, and critically analyzing academic literature, I really don't think it's my job to explain that a group of words with no verb does not a sentence make.

I feel vindicated by an article in today's Chronicle about the new SAT writing section and its ability to predict student success.

The authors point out that the SAT may not be a perfect predictor of success, but when teamed with other methods of assessment can prove valuable for college admissions:

Among their findings: When controlling for other factors, such as level of parental education, each 100-point increase on the SAT writing section correlated, on average, with gains of 0.07 on first-year grade-point averages, 0.18 on grade-point averages in freshman English courses, and 0.54 in credit-hours earned.

"While the scores are imperfect," the researchers wrote in a working paper on the study, "taken together with high-school GPA, other portions of standardized tests, AP credit, and noncognitive variables, they clearly help predict first-year student academic achievement.

Certainly, the increases found are small (but significant). I'm left wondering, however, what the writing portion of the SAT actually measures--is it the ability to construct a sentence using the rules of English, or the ability to analyze and critically assess a problem using those skills? I suppose those are questions best left to the researchers in the College of Education.

As a final note, I leave you with the ever-so-wise opinion of Calvin.

*Any spelling or grammatical errors in this essay are the fault of the New Jersey Public School System, and not the author herself.

What the Doodle is "Moodle"?

2008-07-08T08:58:00.005-04:00

Recently I was made aware of "Moodle," which is a
"free, open-source course management system for online learning". I've never used Moodle, and in fact had never even heard of it until about a week or so ago. Have any of you used it before? It is similar to ANGEL or Blackboard or WebCT? Have you had success with it? Would you recommend it? Will I love it as much as I love Zotero? Do tell!

Happy (Early) Fourth of July!

2008-07-03T13:19:00.003-04:00

Here's hoping this video gets everyone into the holiday spirit:

(Bonus: it features my favorite muppet, Animal. In puffy sleeves, no less...)

Stick to Teaching

2008-07-03T13:02:00.004-04:00

Stanley Fish has a new book out on teaching entitled Save the World on Your Own Time, and he has a nice interview in inside higher ed. Here is an excerpt from the book -

(Professors) They “can (legitimately) do two things: (1) introduce students to bodies of knowledge and traditions of inquiry that had not previously been part of their experience; and (2) equip those same students with the analytical skills — of
argument, statistical modeling, laboratory procedure — that will enable them to move confidently within those traditions and to engage in independent research after a course is over.”

And what should they not do? Everything else.

As suggested from the title, Fish discusses the importance of keeping teaching time focused on inquiry and training - not social advocacy.

While I, for the most part, agree, I have also had some success in service-learning approaches to class. In addition, it is difficult for me to show a film on the Innocence Project without engaging in some advocacy. It is a fine line. Thoughts?

Sad Story out of Maryland

2008-07-01T18:56:00.003-04:00

Some of you may have already heard about this story, in which a 19-year old inmate in the Prince George's County Jail, Ronnie White, was killed in what is being called an act of "vigilante justice". White is believed to have been behind the wheel of an allegedly-stolen vehicle that struck and killed Corporal Richard Findley of the Prince George's County Sheriff Department two days ago. It is not known whether White, found strangled and asphyxiated on the floor of his cell, was killed by a corrections officer, a police officer, or someone else...but, given that White had been in solitary confinement, it seems likely that someone acting in an official capacity was involved in some way with White's death. (In other words, it probably wasn't a fellow inmate.)

I'll try to post updates to this story as they become available.

CV Conundrum

2008-06-29T19:26:00.008-04:00

So, I've been wondering about something lately and wanted to get input from all of you about it:

It seems commonplace for academics (especially junior scholars, I think) to have a section of their CVs reserved for manuscripts that are in progress or under review. This section quite often lists the titles of each manuscript and, for those in review, the journal to which they were submitted. So, here's my question: how does this practice square with the blind review process? I know, I know -- the peer review process is rarely truly "blind" anyway, but this seems like a potentially problematic custom. Wouldn't a simple Google search of a manuscript title provide a ~~snoopy~~ curious reviewer with the CV of the author, assuming that person has listed the manuscript as being "under review" on his or her CV?

And what about the unpleasant circumstance in which a manuscript is rejected? (Not that I would expect any of my blog-mates to have any experience with rejections, of course.) Let's say I have a manuscript listed on my CV as being under review at Journal A. Then it gets rejected, so I send it to Journal B and make the change on my CV. It could just be my own paranoia, but wouldn't subsequent postings of my revised CV let the entire planet know just how many times this particular manuscript has been rejected, and by which journals?

I understand why it is important to demonstrate that one has manuscripts in progress/under review, but I'm wondering whether it is necessary to include specifics on one's CV. I'm curious to hear whether you all have thought about this, or whether I've concocted an issue in my mind that nobody else worries about!

GBOC Lightning Round, Take Three

2008-06-26T20:40:00.007-04:00

Over the last few weeks I've compiled a list of stories I've been meaning to share, but I haven't quite found the time to write about each one. So, rather than let these stories go unblogged (gasp!), let's commence another GBOC Lightning Round! (See previous rounds here and here.)

Item 1: Criminology, Genocide, & Darfur
The other day I received in the mail an advertisement for the forthcoming book Darfur and the Crime of Genocide by John Hagan and Wenona Rymond-Richmond. I am really looking forward to reading this book. Recently I have been part of an effort to boost the level of activism in one of the feminist organizations to which I belong, partly in response to the brutalization of women and children happening in Darfur and in the Congo. I share the sentiments of Robert Sampson, who wrote in his endorsement:

"Why has the field of criminology ignored genocide for so long? The answer to this question has important implications for theories of crime and international policy alike. The terrible tragedy in Darfur serves as the motivation for Hagan and Rymond-Richmond to trace the intellectual history of competing approaches to genocide, from the pioneering work of Sheldon Glueck on Nazi war crimes to controversies over official reaction to atrocities in the former Yugoslavia and now Africa. A call to action, Darfur and the Crime of Genocide is disturbing but necessary reading for all those concerned with international justice and a more general criminological conception of collective responses to crime around the world." --Robert J. Sampson, Harvard University, Henry Ford II Professor of Sociology

Item 2: "In the Basement of the Ivory Tower"
A colleague forwarded to me this Atlantic essay about the challenges of teaching students who by most estimations should not be in college. Writing anonymously, the author discusses the cultural shift in recent decades that has made college attendance compulsory for many students -- even those poorly suited to higher education -- and the ramifications of that shift for the faculty members who must evaluate the academic performance of these students. In particular, the author discusses the challenges of grading papers written by students with remedial writing skills. An excerpt:

America, ever-idealistic, seems wary of the vocational-education track. We are not comfortable limiting anyone’s options. Telling someone that college is not for him seems harsh and classist and British, as though we were sentencing him to a life in the coal mines. I sympathize with this stance; I subscribe to the American ideal. Unfortunately, it is with me and my red pen that that ideal crashes and burns.
Sending everyone under the sun to college is a noble initiative. Academia is all for it, naturally. Industry is all for it; some companies even help with tuition costs. Government is all for it; the truly needy have lots of opportunities for financial aid. The media applauds it—try to imagine someone speaking out against the idea. To oppose such a scheme of inclusion would be positively churlish. But one piece of the puzzle hasn’t been figured into the equation, to use the sort of phrase I encounter in the papers submitted by my English 101 students. The zeitgeist of academic possibility is a great inverted pyramid, and its rather sharp point is poking, uncomfortably, a spot just about midway between my shoulder blades.

For I, who teach these low-level, must-pass, no-multiple-choice-test classes, am the one who ultimately delivers the news to those unfit for college: that they lack the most-basic skills and have no sense of the volume of work required; that they are in some cases barely literate; that they are so bereft of schemata, so dispossessed of contexts in which to place newly acquired knowledge, that every bit of information simply raises more questions. They are not ready for high school, some of them, much less for college.

My guess is that most of us would recognize more than a few of our students in this essay...

Item 3: Kids Count Data & Juvenile Justice Reform
A few weeks ago the Annie E. Casey Foundation released its 2008 Kids Count report, an annual state-by-state survey that evaluates the well-being of children using a variety of indicators: employment, education, health, poverty, and so on. Criminologists may be particularly interested in the juvenile incarceration data. For example, according to a Detroit Free Press article:

Among the most alarming trends: Michigan continues to incarcerate kids at a much higher rate than the national average and often for nonviolent crimes.
There are 137 children per 100,000 in some sort of state facility or detention in Michigan, compared with the national average of 125 per 100,000. That puts Michigan 33rd in that category.

This report might be a useful teaching tool, as the website allows users to generate profiles by state, so that you can see how children in your particular state (or, if you live in a large enough metro area, your city) are faring. Finally, accompanying the report is a thoughtful essay, "A Road Map for Juvenile Justice Reform", that also includes a state-by-state summary of child well-being indicators.

Item 4: Supreme Court Bombshells!
As Velma noted earlier today, this week the U.S. Supreme Court rendered two opinions particularly relevant for criminologists:

(1) In Kennedy v. Louisiana, the Court banned capital punishment for child rape, stating that such punishment is disproportionate to the crime and therefore constitutes cruel and unusual punishment under the 8th amendment.

(2) In District of Columba v. Heller, the Court struck down Washington DC's ban on handgun ownership, ruling that the 2nd amendment right to bear arms extends to individuals.

I will leave the commentary about the Heller decision to the gun experts (and enthusiasts?) on the blog, and instead will share my thoughts about the Court's death penalty decision. Though I've disclosed my secret retributionist stance toward child rapists, I agree with the Court's decision. (I'm sure that Justice Kennedy and the four justices who joined him in the majority are relieved to know that I approve of their reasoning.) As several analysts have noted, because most child rapes are committed by someone the victim knows (often a relative or close family friend), asking a child to testify against the assailant with the knowledge that a conviction could lead to that person's execution understandably would cause undue emotional distress for the victim. Much as my maternal instincts might favor stringing these guys up on the courthouse lawn, the rational part of me knows that it would be utterly inhumane to put child sexual assault victims in a position where telling the truth could get their father, uncle, or other loved one killed, no matter how much we might think that person deserves it.

That's all for now. As always, I look forward to reader comments!

Big News from the Supreme Court

2008-06-26T10:24:00.008-04:00

Supreme Court Rules That Individuals Have Gun Rights
The Supreme Court says Americans have a right to own guns for self-defense and hunting, the justices' first major pronouncement on gun rights in U.S. history. Read More.

This is really big. I will post more when I see the full opinion. As many of you know, they also ruled that expanding the death penalty to child rapists would constitute cruel and unusual punishment.

Just for the record - Obama does not support the death penalty decision (see here), nor does McCain (see here). The Obama link also has good video of Dukakis and his discussion of the death penalty. We all know how that turned out for him.

I really wish I was teaching right now, so I could present all these cool developments to my class.

Internet-ready cars: Worst idea in modern history?

2008-06-25T14:46:00.005-04:00

Via the Detroit Free Press:

Most '09 Chrysler vehicles will be wireless hotspots

The company on Thursday is to announce that the feature will be available as part of its “uconnect” system that will debut in most 2009 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep models.
The wireless Internet will come as a dealer-installed option and will work over cellular telephone links. It will come with a monthly fee which has not yet been determined, spokesman Todd Goyer said.
Goyer said people will be able to use laptop computers in their cars and trucks just as if they were in an office or home....
Goyer said the wireless system will work while vehicles are moving so they can be used by passengers. He said the Auburn Hills-based automaker expects that drivers will obey all safety laws.

I'm sorry. I know this story has nothing to do with crime, but I just had to share. I am rather befuddled by this announcement. As if people talking on cell phones, reading, and/or writing notes while driving wasn't bad enough, now people will be able to check their email behind the wheel, too!* And I love the blithe expectation that only passengers -- never drivers -- will indulge their ability to surf the Net while driving. Obviously that Chrysler spokesperson underestimates the lure of fantasy football leagues.

*Of course, Blackberry and iPhone owners can do this already.

OJJDP Investigation

2008-06-25T11:44:00.004-04:00

I have been following the investigation into the OJJDP grant practices very carefully. Frankly, I have been sulking.

As many of you know, J. Robert Flores, administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is under investigation by the Justice Department. The allegations are that he subverted the peer review process and awarded grants to contractors who shared his ideological viewpoint.

This is not meant to be a bash of the Republican Party as I know that this type of bias can arise under any administration. My concern is that the baby will get thrown out with the bath water. What will happen to all the grants that are being held up because of this investigation and will this impact other departments of the Justice Department?

Here is a link to one article on ABC News.

Pap & Patch's Book!!

2008-06-25T09:44:00.003-04:00

Exciting news: Pap & Patch's first book, "Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard: Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying," will be available beginning August 5th!

Here's what the publisher has to say about this book:

Cyberbullying is the intentional and repeated act of causing harm to others through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices. The authors help educators understand the potential consequences of this deliberate behavior and present strategies for effective identification, prevention, and response.
Focusing on the way technology can facilitate or magnify bullying behavior, this comprehensive resource offers information, guidelines, and resources to give students the protection they need. Written by leading experts, this groundbreaking book offers the voices of youth affected by or involved in real cyberbullying incidents and includes:
Illustrations of what cyberbullying looks like
Tips for identifying cyberbullies or targets
"Breakout boxes" highlighting hundreds of anti-cyberbullying strategies
A review of current research and legal rulings
Strategies for responsible social networking
Follow-up reflection questions in each chapter
Guidelines for working with parents and law enforcement

"Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard" is available for pre-ordering on Amazon here.

Congrats to Pap and Patch!!

Totally Unshocking Crime Headlines, Vol. 11

2008-06-24T14:50:00.010-04:00

"Justice Department favored applicants of a Republican bent, audit says"

What?!?!!!! [*clutches chest, keels over*]

Ahem. From the article:

WASHINGTON — A new audit concludes that rookie attorneys with Republican roots got interviewed for plum Justice Department jobs while their liberal-leaning counterparts got passed over...

Improper use of the screening program peaked in 2006, when politics and ideology disqualified what the audit called a significant number of newly graduated lawyers and summer interns seeking jobs.

The long-awaited report confirms widespread criticism last year that the once fiercely independent Justice Department was victim to political meddling by the Bush administration. The scandal led to the resignation last September of former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

While I'm on the subject, check out this fascinating Daily Show interview with David Iglesias, one of the U.S. Attorneys fired by the Bush administration:

P.S. The NY Times has a similar article about this report here.

Another True Crime TV Obsession in the Making

2008-06-24T09:14:00.010-04:00

I've written before about my obsession with the A&E program The First 48. (It's a really, really good show, and you should totally watch it.) But now I'm afraid that another true crime show might be slowly working its way into our DVR queue: Locked Up Abroad on the National Geographic Channel. This show -- which uses a combination of documentary-style interviews and dramatizations of real events -- features the stories of people who for one reason or another ended up incarcerated in foreign prisons.

Some of these folks got locked up after making colossally stupid decisions while overseas. Like the couple from the UK who agreed to smuggle a few kilos of marijuana out of Costa Rica and into Amsterdam in exchange for a nice sum of money. Turns out that the heavier-than-expected briefcases they were given by the Costa Rican drug lords actually contained -- whoopsy! -- seventeen kilos of pure Colombian cocaine. Or the dude who swallowed sixty-seven cocaine-filled condoms, duct-taped the rest of his stash to his torso, and waltzed into Sydney Airport hoping to smuggle the drugs back into the UK. (Spoiler alert: He got caught, and was subsequently rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery to remove the condoms, some of which had begun to rupture. In his words, getting caught literally saved his life.)

Other folks, though, were kidnapped by various guerrilla or rebel forces while working overseas and were detained, incarcerated, and -- at times -- tortured.

It remains to be seen whether this show will become a full-fledged addiction for me like the First 48...but I have a sneaking suspicion that it might!

Friday CJ Funnies: NSFW Edition!

2008-06-20T07:00:00.003-04:00

I've been feeling surly lately. Maybe it's the crappy weather we've been having that foiled our plans to go up north this weekend. Or maybe it's the shamelessly racist and sexist coverage of Michelle Obama (a.k.a. Barack's "Baby Mama" a.k.a. the "Angry Black Woman") over on Fox News that's got me so grumpy. Or maybe it's pent-up angst over the decision to move the upcoming season of Project Runway from NY to LA. Who knows? Whatever the cause, no fluffy piece of CJ humor was going to tickle my funny bone today. Not even the wicked wit of my beloved Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert could satisfy me. Instead, I craved comedy that's as surly as I feel, and only one person can provide it: Chris Rock.*

Below is a link to one of my favorite bits from the Chris Rock Show: "How not to get your ass kicked by the police". Be warned: it is entirely NSFW, which is why I linked to the video instead of embedding it. It contains strong language (multiple f-bombs!), simulated beatings, and drug references...but it's also viciously funny in typical Rock fashion.

Watch the clip on YouTube here.

*Of course, Dave Chappelle offers equally surly comedy. Perhaps next week's Friday CJ Funny post will be courtesy of Mr. Chappelle...

Happy (Very) Belated Father's Day!

2008-06-18T07:26:00.002-04:00

Ack! Velma is absolutely correct -- I completely spaced out on wishing a Happy Father's Day to Scooby, Dr. Cranky, ShockSpouse, The Trailing Spouse, and Velma's hubby (who, it appears, is in desperate need of a Blogger handle). So....Happy Belated Father's Day, everyone!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

2008-06-18T05:52:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Scooby!!! Cranks has decided to waive all of the IOUs for cereal bars you ate in college as your gift!

***I also forgot to give a shout out to all the dads on the blog. I have seen both of you in action, so I know that the honor of Dad is well deserved. I am always impressed by your cooking abilities - which far out reach mine. I would kill for a M&M pancake from Scoob and some Shelby crisp from Cranky.

"Detroit Barack City"

2008-06-17T16:17:00.013-04:00

Last night I went to the rally for Barack Obama at Joe Louis Arena in downtown Detroit. (Check out a cool panoramic photo of the 20,000-plus capacity crowd here.) It was, without question, one of the most moving, memorable events I have ever attended in my life.

My sister and I arrived downtown just before 5:30 p.m., roughly half an hour before the doors opened. To say that the area surrounding The Joe was jam-packed doesn't adequately describe the scene. Let me offer you a frame of reference. ("You have no frame of reference here, Donny.") Thirty minutes before the doors opened (and three hours before the actual event was scheduled to begin!), the line of people wrapped completely around the arena and stretched all the way to the Renaissance Center roughly five blocks away. (You can see just how far that is by looking at the two shaded areas on the map here.) In other words, there were a lot of people.

But it wasn't just the massive number of people present that made the event so memorable -- it was the astonishing demographic diversity of the crowd. Passing us as we stood in line were Black parents, grandparents, and children, white married couples, young Muslim women in hijab, a 50-ish Black woman in traditional African dress, an extended Asian family, a young Indian man, several groups of Black teenagers, pairs of white college students, a lesbian couple, and, I'm nearly certain, a partridge in a pear tree. We saw a young woman toting a baby in an infant carrier standing near an elderly couple too frail to walk unassisted. Honestly, the group was so eclectic that if you didn't know beforehand what event we were all attending it is unlikely you could have guessed based solely on the crowd composition.

Once inside the arena the atmosphere was electric, to use a rather tired (but apt) expression. There was an almost palpable energy inside -- it was clear that everyone understood that we were participating in an historic event. In fact, the woman in front of us in line (with whom my sister and I became friendly throughout the course of the evening -- we even sat together inside) acknowledged as much with her three children, making sure they understood the significance of seeing the first (half-) Black presidential nominee in U.S. history.

After introductions by Pistons captain Chauncey Billups, Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm, and surprise guest Al Gore (!), Senator Obama finally rose to speak...and the place absolutely erupted. The crowd last night was just as frenzied and the applause just as thunderous as at any concert I have ever been to. People were chanting, waving signs, whistling, yelling, cheering, jumping, clapping -- all for a politician. A politician! Not for Bono, or Dave Matthews, or Chris Rock -- a politician!! It was almost surreal.

I'll wrap up here by sharing a few photos and a video I took...and by noting that, between last night's rally and seeing President Carter speak in Atlanta last November, it's been a good year for attending public speaking engagements!
---
Somewhere close to the beginning of the line extending out (left to right) from the Joe Louis Arena concourse, down the stairs of the parking structure on the right, and winding back past the police cruiser:

Walking east along the riverfront toward the RenCen (that's Canada in the distance!), and still not to the end of the line:

Senator Obama thanks the crowd and begins his remarks (the crowd is chanting "Yes We Can"):

Friday CJ Funnies: Gitmo's World

2008-06-13T08:41:00.006-04:00

This video from the June 10th episode of the Daily Show had me laughing so hard I was crying. Turns out even the war on terror is hysterical when it involves subversive muppets. Folks who have (or who spend time with) Elmo-obsessed young children should particularly enjoy this clip...