Disqus - Latest Comments for adamelend

Re: Doing What I Love…Not Sure It Is Work…StockTwits!!!

adamelend — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:56:04 -0000

Big Congrats on the raise, Howard! I thought the twitter-stock idea was genius when you first mentioned it to me, and think that StockTwits is a really slick manifestation of it. Kudos.

Re: Novel Adventures

adamelend — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 12:49:37 -0000

Great work, Sean. It should also be mentioned that you took this site from a few notes on a piece of paper to a functioning community in 5 weeks.

Re: DNC: Day 3 - Nomination

adamelend — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:17:12 -0000

Yes, and that question was about Obama's race and how it relates to this country's vote. Not how it relates to his qualifications for president.

Is America ready for a black president? Is it? I really don't think so. I think that Obama meets the criteria for President set forth by Bush (a 1.5 term Governor of a state where the Governor is an absolute figurehead) and Kennedy (a 1 term senator just like Obama). I also think, if you listen to Obama, he's rational. Whether you disagree with him or agree with him, he's consistently rational. So is Clinton. So used to be McCain, until he started campaigning a few years ago.

So, based on that, and the fact that McCain is unquestionably a lame duck (as you've stated), I think this election will help us find out if America's ready to elect a black president. It sounds like you believe it won't (because Obama is totally underqualified).

That's fine, but it still begs the question... is America ready to elect a black president?

Re: DNC: Day 1

adamelend — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:10:12 -0000

Despite coverage to the contrary, police presence has been remarkably reasonable here in Denver. I say that as someone who was shot at in 2000 in L.A. by the police (rubber bullets to be fair, but they were firing at our backs) and someone who watched his partner get rounded up by the cops in NY in 04 for being on the wrong street (he had a press pass, and was rounded up along with a Chinese food delivery guy and a 17 year old kid who had just walked out of the Gap).

There are a lot of cops here in brand spanking new riot gear. And I heard that there were some questionable arrests on Monday. But there are protests everywhere throughout Denver, including right up against the barrier where they only let credentialed people in. That's different than NY, or Philly, or even L.A.

Yesterday there was a huge bike ride through the streets of Denver (Critical Mass). The group was trailed by two cops on bikes. That's it. That's compared with the Critical Mass ride in NY in 04 that resulted in 200+ arrests that were later deemed totally unjustified.

Re: DNC: Day 1

adamelend — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:55:28 -0000

He's in the club level, where I can't get to him:)

Re: DNC: Day 3 - Nomination

adamelend — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:54:09 -0000

It should be said the Rep. John Lewis is the last surviving leader of the 1963 March on Washington.

Re: DNC: Day 3 - Nomination

adamelend — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:49:24 -0000

False logic, Andy. Does anyone honestly believe that McCain would be the nominee if he didn't spend 5 years in a prison camp and come back a war hero? He probably never would have been a senator.

Would Kennedy have been president if his daddy wasn't so rich and powerful? How about Bush? Who you are and where you come from shape your narrative. Which matters in this country.

Re: DNC: Day 2 - Catharsis

adamelend — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:33:41 -0000

I asked Spike to give me a real interview and he shot me down - think he was busy. Will try again today.

Re: MobLogic Shut Out

adamelend — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:51:00 -0000

Seesmic video reply from Disqus.

Re: Lindsay Arrested: Yellow Journalism?

adamelend — Sun, 11 May 2008 18:33:21 -0000

Steve is co-creator and producer of another show that's doing great new journalism: http://www.epicfu.com

Check it out!!!

Re: Lindsay Arrested: Yellow Journalism?

adamelend — Sun, 11 May 2008 15:28:02 -0000

Some good points. Couple of things to think about:

1) "I'm not a journalist" - one of our points with this show is to challenge the notion of what a journalist is. Lindsay is not a professional journalist. She doesn't have that training. We want to free the show to stray from some standards of American journalism. Whether or not she is a journalist per se, she is reporting. The line is intentionally blurry, but hopefully where we're coming from isn't.

2) the show is very much still about opinions on the street

3) You're right. A show like this seriously evolves. It's one of the coolest things about producing shows on the web. Everything you do to pre-produce the show is superceded by your daily interaction with the audience.

Thanks for the thoughtful note.

Re: Lindsay Arrested: Yellow Journalism?

adamelend — Sun, 11 May 2008 15:19:01 -0000

No, it's not only about Lindsay and her views. That's an element of the show. To be shown the news through the perspective of a host, and experience it through the perspective of a host is what we get in the blogosphere. MobLogic is trying to create video journalism that provides some of that.

We're also trying to stimulate conversation, which our coverage of the Sean Bell case certainly has done.

Re: “Safe Havens For Crackpots”

adamelend — Sun, 11 May 2008 15:16:43 -0000

Vandalism is vandalism - totally get that. Not saying that anyone shouldn't be prosecuted for a crime that results in damage like that. My problem is when we assume that because someone is holding a sign, that vandalism will occur.

Police should be able to control the situation without the free speech zones. And think of it from the innocent protestor's perspective. Say someone were to attend the rally with the intention of getting violent. So the police are going to stick me in a cage with that guy, so I can't get out? Not very safe. That's not a risk I should have to take in order to hold up a sign.

The mistake, I think, is to look at it with binary logic: we either have protest zones or we have riots in the streets. There are ways to address safety concerns without caging free speech.

Re: Lindsay Arrested: Yellow Journalism?

adamelend — Sun, 11 May 2008 11:04:06 -0000

Jeff Jarvis has a good post on the subject of the News/Opinion divide this week: http://www.buzzmachine.com/...

Re: Lindsay Arrested: Yellow Journalism?

adamelend — Sun, 11 May 2008 09:53:29 -0000

And that's pretty much the question that this episode answers, Andy. MobLogic is about seeing the news through the lens of Lindsay's experience: her experience talking to people on the street, her experience being in the middle of it, etc.

You can agree or disagree but you have to admit that it's different than what you get on TV. And though they're not the ones you'll find articulated by the society of professional journalists, we are operating from a consistent set of standards.

Re: Civil Disobedience For Sean Bell

adamelend — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:45:42 -0000

Not incorrect, Mosscow. But we weren't able to get any NYPD to answer the questions you all asked.

There were definitely some officers who wanted to talk with us about it, but they weren't allowed to speak on camera in uniform.

We're working on finding a good environment to approach some officers, where they're free to express their views. If we get the opportunity, we'll certainly ask those questions.

Re: Civil Disobedience For Sean Bell

adamelend — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:59:03 -0000

gotcha - mistook it for sarcasm.

Re: Civil Disobedience For Sean Bell

adamelend — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:27:14 -0000

Stay tuned heyheyjk...

Re: Civil Disobedience For Sean Bell

adamelend — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:25:41 -0000

Well, Chris Matthews said it, and it's been rather widely reported.

Think your comment's pretty off base, Andy... rather unusual for you. Jeff said that all media is biased, which would be consistent with MSNBC being biased... and his being biased... and the Huffington Post being biased... and him using the Huff Post as a source. But your comment implies that he's being inconsistent.

Re: Civil Disobedience For Sean Bell

adamelend — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:21:03 -0000

Pandora, stay tuned for our next episode, where Lindsay tells you precisely why she got arrested, and we deal directly with the issue you're addressing.

Or maybe you thought your comment would be the first time we thought about the notion of objectivity and professional journalism in our line of work. Hmmmmm.

Re: Civil Disobedience For Sean Bell

adamelend — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:18:07 -0000

And to add - we should really stop this practice of saying they "hit an undercover cop" with their car. They did do that, but they were reversing their car in the miniscule parking lot to leave and the car backed into the cop.

The way it's portrayed makes it sound like the old Stephen King book Christine.

Re: Civil Disobedience For Sean Bell

adamelend — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:15:58 -0000

But perhaps the part that wouldn't occur in any neighborhood, black or white, is where one of the cops screams something to the effect of, "that's right - go get your gun and kill that white bitch."

You have to admit that this particular segment of the NYPD is somewhat odd. The cops drink... they routinely instigate violence as part of their job. It's a weird method of policing.

Re: Civil Disobedience For Sean Bell

adamelend — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:12:51 -0000

I think you would have. Being out there, we saw more vitriol hurled towards black cops than white ones.

And whether you agree with their assessment or not, you have to admit that all the major shootings of unarmed civilians in NY have been of black men. Same goes for police - all the major incidents have involved a black officer being shot by another officer who mistook him for a criminal - one just last year.

That's why we added the woman who talks about the experience of being a New Yorker. There is a pattern here that leads to a logical assumption that the breakdown is about race.

Re: Civil Disobedience For Sean Bell

adamelend — Fri, 09 May 2008 12:40:59 -0000

And just to add - your question was asked (actually to the guy next to him), and that was his response to your question.

Re: Civil Disobedience For Sean Bell

adamelend — Fri, 09 May 2008 12:38:36 -0000

jles, welcome to our world:) The question you ask isn't always the question that's answered. And that gentleman's answer was representative of the general response to your question (NOT Andy's) "Why is this a race issue?'

Almost everyone went immediately to the statement that they believe the issue is systemic, that whether the cops or black or white, they are much quicker to use excessive force against a black man.

One other interesting answer that we couldn't use because it wasn't articulated well enough was that this is a race issue because if a white man had been gunned down in exactly the same way, the city would have been absolutely shut down until the issue was addressed and the officers were dealt with.