Living Buffchic style: African violets soaking up vodka.
Living Buffchic style: African violets soaking up vodka.: Vodka used to kill mealy bugs on African Violets: One of my favorite African Violets Vodka is a multi purpose liquid When I saw a f...
Diary of a Physician Assistant Wannabe: View from a Camel: Cairo, Egypt
Diary of a Physician Assistant Wannabe: View from a Camel: Cairo, Egypt:
Here are a few of my impressions and observations.
Though we went to see the iconic pyramids and The Sphynx, my thoughts were on how these people live on the streets in the rubble of crumbling buildings amongst piles of garbage and scraggly dogs looking for food. Children smaller than the height of the cars dart out and around traffic weaving their way to a median or the other side of the street. And beasts of burden fared less well than the people.
Here are a few of my favorite shots of Cairo.
These young girls were making hand knotted wool and silk rugs at a carpet school where they attend or work four hours a day for five days a week for anywhere from a hear to five years. Their fingers moved like lightning. The young lady on the left was about 12 years old and they each had their cell phones in their laps.
I really enjoyed seeing the goats and sheep in the streets. I know they were being fattened for the kill. But it was neat to see them eating out of troughs along the streets and sidewalks. And the youngsters tending them smiled when I waved.
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| My view from a camel in Cairo, Egypt |
View from a Camel:
I just got back from Cairo four days ago. What an experience. It really was too much to absorb in the few days we spent there.Here are a few of my impressions and observations.
Democratic elections in Egypt
The Egyptians are holding a democratic runoff election this weekend. The Islamic Brotherhood may prevail and if it doesn't it seems that the military regime in place will enforce their agenda regardless as they reserve most of the governmental decision making through veto power. |
| Boy driving donkey cart in Cairo |
Media Coverage
The media is full of coverage that is spotty and not always complete. This must be in part because they do not have timely, reliable sources in Cairo to draw from. Today MSNBC.com reported on an overnight shooting on the street between vendors that made it sound as if this was a result of political unrest or discord when in fact it was a turf squabble among street merchants.Life in Cairo
Having just returned from my first trip to the third world, my eyes were opened to the life on the streets of Cairo. It was dusty, dirty, hot and crowded at times. Sidewalks filled with street vendors offering watermelons, bread, fruits and sheep and goats. Children driving tuk tuks (small 3 wheeled trucks often seen in India) in dense urban aggressive traffic. Donkeys with ribs showing pulling carts laden with bricks amidst eight lanes of choked up stop and weave traffic, blaring horns and unforgiving sun revealed the difficulty of life in this city of nineteen million. |
| Street scene at Tahrir Square |
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| Street vendors at Tahrir square |
Though we went to see the iconic pyramids and The Sphynx, my thoughts were on how these people live on the streets in the rubble of crumbling buildings amongst piles of garbage and scraggly dogs looking for food. Children smaller than the height of the cars dart out and around traffic weaving their way to a median or the other side of the street. And beasts of burden fared less well than the people.
Photos from Cairo
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| King Ramses II |
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| Streets of Cairo |
These young girls were making hand knotted wool and silk rugs at a carpet school where they attend or work four hours a day for five days a week for anywhere from a hear to five years. Their fingers moved like lightning. The young lady on the left was about 12 years old and they each had their cell phones in their laps.
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| Young girls at a carpet school |
I really enjoyed seeing the goats and sheep in the streets. I know they were being fattened for the kill. But it was neat to see them eating out of troughs along the streets and sidewalks. And the youngsters tending them smiled when I waved.
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| Goats and sheep fill the streets |
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| My uncle |
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| Livestock being sold on the street |
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| Pyramids at Giza showing the wives pyramids in foreground |
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| Sphynx in foreground |
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| Buffchic and Sphynx |
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| Streets in Cairo |
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| View from balcony in my hotel room |
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| High rise apts. in Cairo |
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| View from balcony in my hotel room |
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| Two fellows on a bike |
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| Step pyramids |
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| One of my favorite parts of the trip |
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| Sunset in Giza |
Diary of a Physician Assistant Wannabe: View from a Camel: Cairo, Egypt
Diary of a Physician Assistant Wannabe: View from a Camel: Cairo, Egypt: My view from a camel in Cairo, Egypt View from a Camel: I just got back from Cairo four days ago. What an experience. It really was...
Diary of a Physician Assistant Wannabe: Will PAs be working at Walmart?
Diary of a Physician Assistant Wannabe: Will PAs be working at Walmart?: See the internal medicine aisle at Walmart? It seems that Walmart is casting its net farther into the medical field now as reported toda...
I'm back!
After a bit of a delay (wow, last update was Oct. 2008), I'm back to updating my blog. I make no promises this time about constant writing and updates, as I'm a little older and a bit wiser and know the time it takes to write useful and thoughtful posts. I hope to use this space to muse on my role as an Assistant Professor of Multimedia Journalism and adviser of the student run campus television station, CCTV, at Canisius College, Buffalo, NY. Return soon.
You can also follow me on Twitter, and LinkedIn.
You can also follow me on Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Campaign Journal Three
Chris Carney v. Chris Hackett (Pennsylvania 10th Congressional District)
The Lebanon Daily News stated, “On paper, freshman Rep. Chris Carney should be relatively easy pickings for the Republican Party and its nominee, Chris Hackett. After all, Republican voters outnumber Democrats in Carney's rural district in northeastern Pennsylvania by more than 30,000, and Carney owed his 2006 election largely to a sex scandal that engulfed the GOP incumbent, Don Sherwood.” And the DCCC has the race listed a “targeted race.” However, as of a September 21-25 poll, Carney has a solid 10-point lead over Hackett.
A review of the respective web sites and internet news about the campaigns show a picture of politics as usual. The first thing one notices on the official sites are the attack messages. Both sites prominently feature “fact check” sections that attack the opponent’s record, messages and actions. The different comes from Carney’s use of video, possibly accounted for by deeper pockets. Beyond the fact check section, the sites are primarily a repository for press releases, in the media stories, and candidate bios.
A review of the few blogs and media outlets reporting on this race, shows a lopsided coverage of the race. Carney seems to be playing well with the district’s republican base. As a conservative Blue Dog democrat, he has successfully portrayed himself as a candidate with Pennsylvania values, first, and a democrat, second. The local media has fixed on the story of “Republicans turn out for Carney” and “Republicans for Carney” (a group formed by the Carney campaign). The coverage of Hackett follows the line that republicans are supporting the man (Carney) and not the letter after the candidate’s name (Hackett – R). Most of the blog comments followed a Democrat line calling on democrats to rally behind all democrat candidates. Though, one blog comment call Carney “a Repub in Dem clothing” and calls on democrats to unseat him as a warning to other Blue Dog democrats.
Carney, as the incumbent seems to follow the Margolis and Resnick model, politics as usual. He favors offline events such as a “Republicans for Carney” rally, or a press confernce at a local hunting and skeet club to promote his pro-gun stance. Events designed to get local media coverage and to reinforce his identity as a moderate, even conservative, among democrats. A theme that is re-played often in the press and one that has been hard for Hackett to counter.
As for Hackett, he should be taking his cues from Benkler and Howard, and using his new media campaign to be agile, innovative and responsive. He should be using it to target potential voters with a direct email campaign, recruit and mobilize volunteer to canvas the district, and provide campaign materials for download and email re-direct. Nevertheless, a visit to his site shows a politics as usual approach and highlights a possible lack of funding by a lack of visual design and appeal. Instead of using his online presence to mobilize and motivate his followers, he uses it a tradition brochure-like way to criticize his opponent in a manner that lacks the impact to attract media attention.
So considering that this campaign is in a district that is narrow geographically and demographically homogeneous, is an aggressive and innovative new media strategy important? Is a web site or even the use of outside new media options, such as YouTube and Facebook (Carney has 367 supporters and Hackett has 127 supporters out of a possible electorate of around 484,000), going to have a significant impact over the local press coverage and the campaign’s publicity events to change an election?
The Lebanon Daily News stated, “On paper, freshman Rep. Chris Carney should be relatively easy pickings for the Republican Party and its nominee, Chris Hackett. After all, Republican voters outnumber Democrats in Carney's rural district in northeastern Pennsylvania by more than 30,000, and Carney owed his 2006 election largely to a sex scandal that engulfed the GOP incumbent, Don Sherwood.” And the DCCC has the race listed a “targeted race.” However, as of a September 21-25 poll, Carney has a solid 10-point lead over Hackett.
A review of the respective web sites and internet news about the campaigns show a picture of politics as usual. The first thing one notices on the official sites are the attack messages. Both sites prominently feature “fact check” sections that attack the opponent’s record, messages and actions. The different comes from Carney’s use of video, possibly accounted for by deeper pockets. Beyond the fact check section, the sites are primarily a repository for press releases, in the media stories, and candidate bios.
A review of the few blogs and media outlets reporting on this race, shows a lopsided coverage of the race. Carney seems to be playing well with the district’s republican base. As a conservative Blue Dog democrat, he has successfully portrayed himself as a candidate with Pennsylvania values, first, and a democrat, second. The local media has fixed on the story of “Republicans turn out for Carney” and “Republicans for Carney” (a group formed by the Carney campaign). The coverage of Hackett follows the line that republicans are supporting the man (Carney) and not the letter after the candidate’s name (Hackett – R). Most of the blog comments followed a Democrat line calling on democrats to rally behind all democrat candidates. Though, one blog comment call Carney “a Repub in Dem clothing” and calls on democrats to unseat him as a warning to other Blue Dog democrats.
Carney, as the incumbent seems to follow the Margolis and Resnick model, politics as usual. He favors offline events such as a “Republicans for Carney” rally, or a press confernce at a local hunting and skeet club to promote his pro-gun stance. Events designed to get local media coverage and to reinforce his identity as a moderate, even conservative, among democrats. A theme that is re-played often in the press and one that has been hard for Hackett to counter.
As for Hackett, he should be taking his cues from Benkler and Howard, and using his new media campaign to be agile, innovative and responsive. He should be using it to target potential voters with a direct email campaign, recruit and mobilize volunteer to canvas the district, and provide campaign materials for download and email re-direct. Nevertheless, a visit to his site shows a politics as usual approach and highlights a possible lack of funding by a lack of visual design and appeal. Instead of using his online presence to mobilize and motivate his followers, he uses it a tradition brochure-like way to criticize his opponent in a manner that lacks the impact to attract media attention.
So considering that this campaign is in a district that is narrow geographically and demographically homogeneous, is an aggressive and innovative new media strategy important? Is a web site or even the use of outside new media options, such as YouTube and Facebook (Carney has 367 supporters and Hackett has 127 supporters out of a possible electorate of around 484,000), going to have a significant impact over the local press coverage and the campaign’s publicity events to change an election?
Campaign Journal Two
For the second installment of the Campaign Journal, I will look at the Delaware gubernatorial race. Though not a particularly competitive race, it is the only one of the four races I am following that had in addition to the major-party candidates had two independent or third-party candidates. This race also lets us look at the through the lens of Michael Margolis and David Resnick authors of Politics as Usual.
Margolis and Resnick propose that though there is potential for the internet to create a forum in which all candidates and party can have equal access to voters and can provide the content needed for informed voters, the realities of money, campaign strategies, voter behavior and political self-interest will trump the altruistic potentials of the web. The Delaware gubernatorial race will allow for an examination of the campaign web site presentations of the candidates and their issues. In this race, there is no incumbent (current governor is term-limited)—though the Democrat’s (party of the out-going governor) nominee could be viewed as such since Delaware has had a Democrat in the governor’s office for the past 16 years—and there are two third-party (Independent Party of Delaware (IPOD) and the Blue Enigma Party) candidates.
One characteristic of the Margolis and Resnick model is that campaign web sites will become more standardized or “normalized,” this is evident on the campaign sites of the two major-party candidates—Jack Markell (D) and Bill Lee (R). Both sites use a patriotic red, white and blue color pallet, with a banner art containing the Delaware state flag. Both sites have prominent buttons for “about,” “issues,” “news,” “contact,” “supporter sign up,” “events” and “donate,” and both sites utilize multimedia in the form of video on the home page. Though Margolis and Resnick also state, the inequality of financial resources will limit the ability of third-party candidates to produce highly designed and technologically sophisticated web sites. The web site for the Blue Enigma Party illustrates this prediction, as the standardization of the content is not evident. In the case of the Blue Enigma Party, the web site is a true “brochure” site. The web site provides very basic information about the party, its platform of issues, a short uninformative biography of their candidate for governor (Jeff Brown), a generic link to email the party, and an external link to declareyourself.com, a voter registration site.
Further, the web sites of the major-party candidates illustrate Margolis and Resnick prediction that standard offline campaign practices will dictate online content and practices. On of these practices is in the branding of the candidates. On Markell’s site, his logo labels him as the “DEMOCRAT FOR GOVERNOR,” as the Democrats have held the office for 16 years it make political sense to identify ones self with the incumbent party; Bill Lee, as the Republican, makes no partisan claim. Secondly, the Markell has not been diligent in updating the information on his site, the last update was September 10 announcing that he had won the Democratic primary and he has not listed any upcoming event. Bill Lee’s site has been updated with news since September 10, but he is updating his event calendar. This would suggest the challenger, Bill Lee, is trying to create interest in the race, where as the de facto incumbent, Jack Markell, is keeping race interest low to take advantage of the fact that low voter interest and election day turn out favors the incumbent. These two strategies—party ID and controlling information flow—are clearly from the traditional offline campaign playbook; the goal of campaigning is to win the election, it is not to enlighten voters or promote better democracy.
Margolis and Resnick propose that though there is potential for the internet to create a forum in which all candidates and party can have equal access to voters and can provide the content needed for informed voters, the realities of money, campaign strategies, voter behavior and political self-interest will trump the altruistic potentials of the web. The Delaware gubernatorial race will allow for an examination of the campaign web site presentations of the candidates and their issues. In this race, there is no incumbent (current governor is term-limited)—though the Democrat’s (party of the out-going governor) nominee could be viewed as such since Delaware has had a Democrat in the governor’s office for the past 16 years—and there are two third-party (Independent Party of Delaware (IPOD) and the Blue Enigma Party) candidates.
One characteristic of the Margolis and Resnick model is that campaign web sites will become more standardized or “normalized,” this is evident on the campaign sites of the two major-party candidates—Jack Markell (D) and Bill Lee (R). Both sites use a patriotic red, white and blue color pallet, with a banner art containing the Delaware state flag. Both sites have prominent buttons for “about,” “issues,” “news,” “contact,” “supporter sign up,” “events” and “donate,” and both sites utilize multimedia in the form of video on the home page. Though Margolis and Resnick also state, the inequality of financial resources will limit the ability of third-party candidates to produce highly designed and technologically sophisticated web sites. The web site for the Blue Enigma Party illustrates this prediction, as the standardization of the content is not evident. In the case of the Blue Enigma Party, the web site is a true “brochure” site. The web site provides very basic information about the party, its platform of issues, a short uninformative biography of their candidate for governor (Jeff Brown), a generic link to email the party, and an external link to declareyourself.com, a voter registration site.
Further, the web sites of the major-party candidates illustrate Margolis and Resnick prediction that standard offline campaign practices will dictate online content and practices. On of these practices is in the branding of the candidates. On Markell’s site, his logo labels him as the “DEMOCRAT FOR GOVERNOR,” as the Democrats have held the office for 16 years it make political sense to identify ones self with the incumbent party; Bill Lee, as the Republican, makes no partisan claim. Secondly, the Markell has not been diligent in updating the information on his site, the last update was September 10 announcing that he had won the Democratic primary and he has not listed any upcoming event. Bill Lee’s site has been updated with news since September 10, but he is updating his event calendar. This would suggest the challenger, Bill Lee, is trying to create interest in the race, where as the de facto incumbent, Jack Markell, is keeping race interest low to take advantage of the fact that low voter interest and election day turn out favors the incumbent. These two strategies—party ID and controlling information flow—are clearly from the traditional offline campaign playbook; the goal of campaigning is to win the election, it is not to enlighten voters or promote better democracy.
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