Minor Hiatus

I’m currently at Stockton, and am having trouble with the hotel wireless. I’ll have WTHX caught up on Monday, worst comes to worst.

Birth of a Startup, pt. 1 (5/30)

So, instead of WTHX today, I’ll summarize why the hell I’ve been making these oddly formatted, politically focused posts.

…oh, what the hell. I’ll do it in the WTHX format while I’m at it. This’ll be a rough draft of our future PR piece, I guess.

Thoughtscream Media was, on one hand, birthed in an instant. An online discussion between Sean McBurney and James Chen meandered to a mutual dissatisfaction with the state of modern media – between the legal bullying of the RIAA and MPAA, the swift decline of the printed media empires, and especially the lack of representation of the so-called Geek Demographic. Thoughtscream Media – the name and web address of which Chen already owned at the time – was thus concocted as a response to all three issues.

On the other hand, Thoughtscream Media was perhaps long in coming. These issues didn’t come out of the woodworks in all of a night. The problems with media and representation has persisted for as long as they’ve known. And Chen, having worked on a journalism degree at the time, was very much invested in the developing ideas of New Media at the time.  The inclusion of Shea Clifford, the technical cofounder of Thoughtscream Media, helped solidify over time all the discontent into an actual course of action.

On the gripping hand, sudden or prolonged, there was no better time to found Thoughtscream – and plenty of worse times, past and future. The news industry will wisen up eventually – the question is whether or not we can beat them to the punch.

Why are you making these oddly formatted posts in the first place?

WTHX, or “What the Hell X?” with X being a placement variable for any subject at hand, was formulated to address a consistent concern amongst our international – and even domestic – peers: newspapers suck at context. The lockstep monomaniacal approach to event and development coverage gives plenty of information specifically about the subject… but routinely fails at enlightening a non-native (and often even local) readers as to the background, the importance, the consequences, et al.

Thus, WTHX, whose entire rationale is to fill that absence of context. Which sounds easy enough, up until you realize that a story’s context is many, many times bigger than itself – no matter how big the story.

WTHX’s format must therefore have a number of key features: it must be laid out in such a way that the information’s easily processed (summary, question 1, question 2), it must be pithy enough to delivery max information value without losing the reader’s interest (and who wants to read a wall of text anyhow on their coffee break?), and it must be easily expandable. Plans are in place to convert it further with a wiki-like backend – followup WTHXs on issues would then have their questions archived in an easy-to-track wiki page, with summaries of ongoing events updated as we go along.

We mean to give context – all of it, as thoroughly as possible. Because the whole reason for journalism is to give the literate individual the information they need to function, whether on a daily basis, as a voter, or as a human being in general.

So, what, is this just Yet Another Link Blog?

…if it wasn’t me writing this, I’d be a touch insulted. But, no. This is not just another link aggregate. Not only is there a strict use of human-written and edited narrative to elicit the context (because, even if pithy is a virtue in a writer, tweetlike sentences don’t do context justice), but while most WTHXs thoroughly cross-link other sites, there is all the intent in the world to generate original material in the form of research, interviews, on-the-ground factfinding, even videoblogs.

This is a journalism venture. First and foremost.

WTHX: Experiment 4 – What the Hell is with the Rural/Urban Voter Demographic Divide in Maine?

Pre-vote polls and preliminary reports from the Maine gay marriage ballot, “Question 1,” suggested a heavy split between “rural” and “urban” voters.   Specifically, rural voters were far more likely to vote for the ballot measure, which repealed state legislation that officially recognized same-sex marriages.  This makes Maine the 31^st state to have rejected gay marriage at the voting ballots.

Why is there such a voting discrepancy between the two demographics?

According to the California demographic studies done in the aftermath of Proposition 8 (ref. WTHX: Ex 3), there is a strong correlation between the urbanization levels of a population and its age, religious tendencies, political affiliation and education.

Specifically, urban voters, which were most likely to vote in favor of gay marriage, also trend as younger, more likely to hold a college degree, more likely to vote Democrat and were, on the whole, less religiously inclined than their counterparts on the other side of the issue.

The racial trends are also worth noting: from the California studies again, non-Caucasian groups (which also tend to trend as more religious or more socially conservative) were actually slightly less favorably inclined towards same-sex marriage. However, the statistics for this indicates across Latino, Asian and Black communities, and do not further break down along specific communities.

What does this mean for the same-sex marriage movement?

While winning their 31^st battle against same-sex marriage has boosted the confidence of conservative elements, the outlook for the gay rights movement as a whole remains, at most, ambivalent.

To put the loss in context, while Maine has not had a gay marriage challenge before, they did have a healthy 47% turnout in the defense of same-sex marriage. This is almost exactly parallel to general American views on the issue, according to the National Constitution Center Poll of Sept. 2009. According to Gallup’s historical statistics, that is a 12% increase from a decade ago, though the Gallup poll also indicates a lower favorable view of gay marriage, reducing the gain to 5%.

Gallup indicates that the relative lack of change in recent years is due to the increasing number of states that have indicated approval of gay marriage, reducing the prominence of the movement within the states.

WTHX: Experiment 3 – What The Hell is Going On with Maine’s Gay Marriage Ballot?

If you detect a particularly “liberal” bent in this WTHX, I won’t even try to deny it. I am incensed – pissed – absolutely enraged at the bigotry espoused by 53% of Maine’s voting population. While I strive for professionalism, I won’t degrade myself by pretending objective impartiality. You can look to Hollywood for actors.

The ongoing Maine ballot regarding the legal status of gay marriage is currently looking bleak for proponents of gay marriage. As of this writing, the majority vote remains against the act’s legalization, though last-minute ballot counts may yet swing the vote around.

The vote difference between the two sides currently hovers at roughly 3%. The ballot measure in question, “Question 1,” would repeal Maine’s currently pro-gay marriage statutes, and remove legal recognition and rights between current same-sex marriages.

Why is gay marriage being voted against in Maine?

Maine had voted to legally recognize same-sex marriages during May of 2009. However, the passing of this legislature prompted an immediate challenge from the socially conservative aspects of the state’s political field, prompting the November ballot on “Question 1.”

Gay marriage opponents are rallying under the ideological flag of “protecting traditional marriage and values,”  stressing the traditional interpretation of marriage as between man and woman. They are also highlighting the fear that the passing of the May 6 legislation will mandate the teaching of gay marriage in schools – though same-sex marriage proponents and the state attorney has denied that any part of the bill has such a provision.

While the campaign against gay marriage rests on the grounds of its perceived threat to the traditional institution of heteronormative marriage, legal experts “don’t know” what the threats actually are.

Polls have indicated that the vote on the issue splits along rural-urban lines. Historically, from California’s passing of Proposition 8, the demographics most likely to support a repeal of gay marriage statutes are Evangelical/Born Again Christians, those without a college degree, Republican, and/or over the age of 34.

Why are 47% of Maine voters in favor of same-sex marriage?

In contrast to the arguments made against gay marriage, the arguments in its favor are rooted in its casting as a civil rights issue. Namely, establishing rights regarding separation, divorce, child care, medical visitation and decisions, health insurance and pensions, and economic protection.

Many states have “civil union” statutes that afford most or even all of the rights of marriage – however, these statutes are only applicable within the state hosting such laws, and are not recognized on a federal level. The legal recognition of gay marriage would make such unions legally recognizable and enforceable across all 50 states.

Conversely, 30 states of the United States of America have, instead, voted to ban same-sex marriages.

As of the conclusion of the writing of WTHX, the pro-gay marriage “No on 1” advocates have conceded defeat.

WTHX: Experiment 1 – Why The Hell is Cheney Fighting the CIA Investigation?

This is the original WTHX, made after promptings by a number of friends regarding the chronically contextually ambiguous nature of mainstream press reports. It dates itself, I think – Cheney’s dramatastic emotional flare-up at the ongoing CIA investigations occupied the news for all of a week, maybe less, and hasn’t been heard of since.

Note to self: do a followup when possible.

The ongoing controversy between Dick Cheney, former vice president of the United States of America, and his criticism of the investigations of alleged misconduct by the Central Intelligence Agency, is centered around two primary claims.

The first is that the CIA have been involved in the use of coercive interrogation techniques banned by the Geneva Convention – or, more succinctly, that they have been torturing prisoners for information. This is most aptly demonstrated in the waterboarding controversy of years just prior, where the documented use of simulated drowning aroused protest regarding the mistreatment of prisoners under the CIA’s control.

The second claim, asserted by Cheney, is that the methods used by the CIA were, in fact, invaluable sources of information for the American intelligence community, and that those involved in the CIA’s practices against captured prisoners should not be punished for following given, and legally backed, orders. Backing his claim is the rumors, some given by Cheney, that an as-yet still classified Department of Justice report recommends the disbarment of a number of lawyers involved in the sanctioning of some forms of the CIA’s interrogation, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.

Why the hell is the Department of Justice investigating the CIA?

The allegations of prisoner abuse and the use of torture contravenes US law and international treaties. Federal Prosecutor John H. Durham, appointed by US Attorney General Eric Holder, seeks to inquire as to whether CIA officials and supervisors were aware and/or authorized the use of interrogation techniques not approved by the Justice Department, as reported by UPI.com

However, Cheney and Republican officials are claiming that the investigation is an overtly political act, and that prior scrutiny towards CIA activities were already sufficient, and that further investigations would be damaging to the CIA’s abilities. “I worry about the morale and effectiveness of the CIA. I worry about this thing getting out of control,” said Senator John McCain, an outspoken opponent to torture.

Why the hell is Cheney protesting the investigation?

According to Cheney, the investigation will “do great damage, long term, to our capacity to be able to have people take on difficult jobs, make difficult decisions, without having to worry about what the next administration is going to say.”

However, Cheney is not without a personal stake in the outcome of the investigation. As noted by Harper’s Magazine, Cheney is known for his somewhat unusually in-depth involvement with the CIA, during his terms as vice president. Reports have shown Cheney’s direct responsibility and intervention in both the policy-setting of detainee treatment, and in the control of information relating to such activities.

WTHX: Experiment 2 – Why The Hell Is There A Sit-In Protest In UC Santa Cruz?

Yes, experiment 2. Experiment 1 was a closed beta trial amongst one of my online communities – preliminary response was positive, and the article was regarding Dick Cheney’s infamously harsh response to the declassification of intelligence memos and possible judicial action. I’ll post it later – first, to get my feet wet again…

Warning: Text copypasted from OpenOffice Writer. I could push the links into the text, but it’s almost 2 AM and I’m tired.

WTHX: Experiment 2 – Why The Hell Is There A Sit-In Protest In UC Santa Cruz?

The ongoing demonstrations at UC Santa Cruz (http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_13600941) have involved the occupation of lecture halls, the tagging of graffiti on campus property, and the pepper-spraying of members of the student body by campus police. Loud music shakes the occupied halls, and students are reportedly dancing the night away – all in protest over the continuing increases to University of California’s tuition costs, along with the reduction of scholarships across the nation (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-07/07/content_11668059.htm).

The protests are not bound only to Santa Cruz, nor do they only involve students. A conference has been held in UC Berkeley regarding protests over the budget cuts and tuition increases (http://www.dailycal.org/article/107222/conference_held_at_uc_berkeley_to_protest_budget_c), of which has garnered significant cross-university faculty support.

Why are they protesting?

Note that the tipping point of the protests seem to originate not from domestic, Californian, education policies. Though the ongoing education cuts are certainly the focus of the protest, much of the actual trigger (as displayed in various student activist Facebooks) seems to have been generated from the ongoing protests in Austria (http://de.indymedia.org/2009/10/264499.shtml). Sympathetic activists (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=163329887062&v=info&ref=search) are using the Austrian protests as a memetic rallying point in which to build solidarity.

Thus, the rationale for the protests differ, depending on groups interviewed. There is a strong socialistic bent amongst major groups that regard the developing policies as a detrimental economization and increasingly authoritarian restructuring of public education. Others are specifically aimed at the possibility of a 30% increase to the cost of UC tuition (http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-09-15-university-california_N.htm), as well as the increased cost of education throughout California’s higher-education system, for both CSUs and community colleges.

Why is California cutting its universities’ budget?

Simply put: the recession. As written in La Voz Weekly News (http://media.www.lavozdeanza.com/media/storage/paper911/news/2009/10/26/News/How-Much.More.Can.We.Cut-3813629.shtml), regarding the ongoing budget cuts at Cupertino City’s De Anza College, “…the district expects further cuts in January and May of 2010, making the current decision more of a stopgap effort than a conclusive decision.” The cuts are a reflection of the California state government’s ongoing budgetary issues, of which has not improved over the last year (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/us/01calif.html), despite many cuts across the board.

The outlook for the world economy at large remains mostly negative (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hixr2M_Qx1JQ-RsMvvAlU1RwLPiwD9BK83Q82).

Geekscream: Senjougahara Hitagi Breaks the Rules

Senjougahara Hitagi has no real moe characteristics. She’s a cool beauty, waspish to the guy she likes, and liable to attack you with staplers and razors, not to mention enough pencils and stationary to warrant references to Fate/Stay Night – kuu, tsun and yan. But no dere. No softness. No vulnerability. The weakest she’s ever been was when she begged a god for the “weight” of her memories back – but what kind of vulnerability is asking to shoulder the worst pain, sorrow and traumas of her teenage life?

And yet I’m head over heels about her, along with half or more of the anime fandom. Despite the fact that her story arc, “Hitagi Crab,” is a downright perfect description of her personality, I find myself so thoroughly charmed by her personality – and certainly, episode’s 2 blatant, in-your-face, and downright meta-satirical fanservice doesn’t hurt matters at all – that I, too, am sharing the rallying cry for Senjougahara fascination.

Geekscream: TECHNIKA! (and Guitar Hero Arcade)

They finally have a DJ Max Technika machine at my local arcade! I am going to be so goddamn broke.

A rather good way to lure in first-time players, this~

Geekscream: Fan Art and Fair Use

21stcenturydigitalboy’s tossed in his two cents about the Online Fanart Protection manifesto, as has WildArmsHeero of Mistakes of Youth fame. Of the two, it’s actually 21CDB that gets it right – there is no actual legal nor moral controversy towards the use of fanart for blogging purposes, except that both bloggers and fanartists are both in technical copyright violation.

And that’s a very minor technical indeed. So minor, it can be said not to exist, especially in the form utilized by fanartists and bloggers alike.

Justice for Marlo Custodio

Concerning the case of friend, fellow student, former Speech and Debate member and De Anza student body president Marlo Custodio, I’ve somewhat deliberately avoided the issue of his current troubles with the San Jose police force. Mainly because while social justice in general is of interest to me, and the cause of more than a few temper flareups, my understanding of the local face of the issue is embarrassingly and soberly scarce.

I come from a relatively well-to-do background. Though I went to public school all my life, I’ve always been in the upper-class sort of public school, with performances and reputation in line with the closed-gate snobbery of the private institutions. Though my family has wavered between low- and actual-middle-class, dipping into the former quite heavily in the current economy, we’ve never starved or missed a bill or even gone without internet since the early 90s. All of my dramas and problems’ve been decidedly bourgeoisie and luxurious.

I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like to be tasered by the cops – and then see them rough up my mother.

Marlo can. So has many others in the poorer neighborhoods of San Jose. For all the acclaim, for all the fame lauded upon this city, the “Capital of Silicon Valley,” and the birth of the information technologies industry as we know it now, we so very easily ignore the sewage, both industrial and social, that we churn out to maintain that image.

The sad thing about Custodio’s ongoing campaign against the charges levied at him and his family by the police isn’t that it happened to him. It’s that it’s not at all unique. Us suburban Silicon Valleyites tend to think that racial strife and tension’s something that happens in the southern, more rural areas of the country – and even with our own problems, mainly in the southern, more rural areas of the state. When news about a shooting in San Carlos and Race pops up in our MercNews feeds, when a rowdy Mardi Gras has a half-dozen people tasered and locked up for the night, we altogether too quickly dismiss it as the deserved punishment for a bunch of riffraffs and gangsta rap blaring assholes.

In our smug progressive liberalism, we forget to check on ourselves to see if we’re not taking the situation a wee bit too lightly.

The San Jose Police Department has not had an unblemished record. Their use of brutal, unnecessary force has been documented time and time again – and for each case, forgotten by us time and time again. It doesn’t matter if we happen to have one of the most diverse policing forces in the nation, much less the world – when they draw a dividing line between Us and Them, between blue uniforms and low-riding jeans, when they shoot a kid with a taser on suspicion of being poor and Hispanic, it doesn’t matter if the one doing the tasering is Hispanic too.

The police force naturally attracts bullies. Just because they get to have guns and batons and drive around in overpriced and underspecced Fords with fancy logos on them doesn’t mean they inherently deserve our respect. They are public servants – not just to the rich and privileged, but to every last one of us, regardless of creed, faith, color, gender, orientation or hairdo. They earn their masters’ respect by serving all of us with the same high level of competence – and they lose their right to their hundred thousand dollar bonuses, mahogany desks and jelly-filled donuts when they start mistaking themselves as the rulers as opposed to enforcers of the rule.

Marlo Custodio has a temper, and a historically explosive one at that. But he didn’t succeed to the student body presidency after a hotly contested election that saw an attempt to bar him four times over by blowing up at any provocation, big or small. These days, his temper’s expressed in verbal jabs, and I don’t find it inconceivable that he might’ve said something inappropriate to an officer. But, I emphasize, that is no fucking crime. And that does not deserve a criminal record, much less a tasering. Much less a tasering for his entire goddamn family.

Every single last officer involved in this case deserves more than a scolding – far more than a slap on the wrist for being bad boys. Far more than getting fired, even. For their disproportionate response to Marlo Custodio, a proportionate punishment is warranted – as a demonstration to all police who think it okay to categorize their fellow human beings in order of likelihood to win a police brutality lawsuit against them.

I say we should give Marlo the taser.