Voting Articles for Thursday

For Thursday, be sure to read the following articles on voting:

• Louis Menand's New Yorker article.
• Analysis: Teens care about U.S. Election
• Campaign Journal: College-Age Voters Feel Tug of Recruiters
• Kerry's campaign focuses on college voters

Because we will be meeting in Skiles 318 on Thursday, we will not have access to computer monitors, so be sure to print up hard copies of each of these four articles and be prepared to discuss them in class.

Some (optional but interesting) debate articles:
1) Election May Hinge On Debates: Bush, Kerry Bring Different Strengths

2) Bush's Data Dump: The administration is hiding bad economic news. Here's how.

3) Kerry in a Struggle for a Democratic Base: Women

4) Cheney Crowds Would Like More on Kitchen-Table Issues

5) "Rhetoric vs. Reality"

6) "How Kerry can win the debate on terror and Iraq"

To be clear, the debate articles are not required, but they introduce some of the questions that Bush and Kerry will face during the debates. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the lecture on Wednesday night and the debates on Thursday.



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My class only: If you haven't read it, you should review Jonathan Freedland's "Still no Votes in Leipzig," which argues that people outside the US should be allowed to vote in US elections. Voluntary reading, but still relevant: From The New York Times, "Abolish the Electoral College."

Vince Keenan Lecture Information

Here's some more information about Vince Keenan and Wednesday night's lecture.

Vince Keenan Lecture Information

Here's some information about Vince Keenan and Wednesday night's lecture. Looking forward to reading everyone's blog entries/responses to the lecture and discussion this week.

Directiuons to TSRB

Here are the directions to Wednesday night's lecture, which starts at 6:30 PM.

Remember to write a blog entry with 1-2 questions for Vince after attending Wednesday night's lecture. Also be sure to track down 1-2 articles about voting issues that you'd like to discuss.

I'll have more information on Thursday's activities a little later this afternoon.

Voting Article

Here's an article to get our discussion on voting started. I realize you're getting it late, but try to read it for Tuesday. We'll be spending most of class talking about the assignment for paper 2, including planning strategies you can use to improve on your first paper.

Jim Holt, "Is Voting Worth the Trouble?" New York Times.

You might also read Chris Bertram's comments on the article at Crooked Timber. I'll post some other articles later this evening that you should read for Thursday.

Framing the Debate

Dr. Andy Cline has an intersting post that explains how the rules for the upcoming debates might effect what the candidates are able to say and how they will be able to engage with each other. As Cline notes, the "debates" aren't really debates in the traditional sense, but instead might actually inhibit "truth and honesty in civic discourse." As you watch the debates on Thursday, perhaps keep in mind some of the questions that Dr. Cline is raising in this post.

You might also take a look at Dr. Cline's discussion of the lack of faith in contemporary media. Dr. Cline points to a Gallup study that indicates that only 44% of Americans claim to be "confident that U.S. news outlets are presenting the news accurately and completely."

Perhaps CBS Should Hire Jon Stewart

Since we've been discussing media coverage of the elections, I tought you all might be interested to learn that according to this Annenberg study, viewers of the Daily Show are more informed about the upcoming election than people who do not watch late night comedy. Link via Wonkette, who also links to a Time Magazine interview with show host, Jon Stewart.

9:30 Class Discussion

Daniel provided this useful MSNBC chart summarizing George Bush and John Kerry's positions on several key issues.

James provided us with a point-by-point chart of the candidates' positions on science issues (from Nature.com).

And Ajay linked to this interesting Guardian editorial, "Still No Votes in Leipzig," which argues that voters outside the US are affected by US policies and should therefore be entitled some say in US elections.

Here's another article (I've only skimmed this one) from Business Week about the Electoral College.

You're not required to read these articles, but they might make for an interesting blog entry!

Reminder

It's a little late (Wed. 9:15 AM), and many of you have not yet linked to articles. Those of you who are attending my afternoon classes, be sure to track down some articles you'd be interested in discussing in class.

Lecture & Debate Information

The Vince Keenan lecture will be: Wed. Sept 29th 6:30pm , TSRB Room 132-134. Note that 132-134 is one big room.

The debate will be screened on Thursday night in Instructional Center 103 for the presidential debate, Sept. 30. Instructional Center is #55 on the map, and room 103 is the Tennenbaum Auditorium. The debate starts at 9 PM, so please arive by 8:45 so that we can watch the debate without too many interruptions.

Also, don't forget that we will be meeting in Room 318 during class on Thursday, September 30.

Inside the Ivory Tower

Don't be surprised if your blogs get a little more traffic than usual. The Guardian newspaper has an article on academic blogging, and my use of blogging in freshman composition classes gets a brief mention.

For visitors who found this blog via the Guardian article, I encourage you to take a look around and feel free to leave some comments here or on my students' blogs, listed in the right margin.

Kerry Speech

Here's quick link to Kerry's NYU speech on Monday, which I mentioned in class. For now, I'd just encourage people to go out and find links to articles either about Kerry's speech or about Bush or Kerry's Iraq policy. You may also find articles pertaining more broadly on their positions on the war on terrorism.

I'd encourage people who are interested to track down English-language articles from foreign news sources. During class discussion, one student raised the point that people in Euorpe are critical in Bush, largely because he circumvented the UN on the Iraq war. This perspective is often missing from the mainstream media in the US, so I'd encourage you to dig around and find an article you find interesting.

Note: I'll publish the full schedule for next week as soon as my Tech email account is up and running.

Email Blues

I'm currently having problems with my Georgia Tech email account. Please send any questions about the class to chutry[at]msn[dot]com.

Tuition Increase

In the 9:30 class, Ajay mentioned a planned tuition increase for the state of Georgia. Here is the Technique article on the subject. Note that the increase has not yet been approved by the Board of Regents.

I'll publish the new schedule information ASAP.

Media and "Bias"

Two interesting editorials/articles on the media:

• Frank Rich, "This Time Bill O'Reilly Got It Right"
• Jim Wooten, "Conservatives Find a Pipeline"

Read these articles, and we'll plan on discussing them, along with 1-2 other articles, on Thursday.

Reminder

Don't forget to submit your papers to Turnitin.com by Tuesday.

Update: I will be extending the Turnitin deadline through Tuesday. Be sure to submit ASAP if you want your paper returned.

Blog Opportunities Over the Weekend

This weekend, you have three oportunities to write/get credit for blog entries for English 1101. The first possibility would be to read the Andrew Cline essay listed in the entry, "Just the Facts, Ma'am." You may also find an editorial or article online and conduct a rhetorical analysis of it. Finally, I invite you to attend the September Project event here in Atlanta listed below. If you attend and write a review of this event, you will get credit fro TWO blog entries. More information about The September Project is listed below.

Paul Loeb has agreed to participate in the September Project event here in Atlanta this weekend. Loeb is the author of several books, including Soul of a Citizen: Living With Conviction in a Cynical Time and The Impossible Will Take a While. Loeb will be joined by Sarah Shalf, who as David Morgen explains, "is an attorney in town who has dealt with some interesting First Amendment cases involving the right to protest in support of a locally unpopular cause, and then balancing the right to protest against undeniable safety issues (e.g. at the G8 summit). She'll be focusing her remarks on the recent Supreme Court cases dealing with the prosecution of terrorism suspects: Hamdi, Padilla, and Rasul."

Our September Project event will be scheduled for Saturday, September 11, from 3-5:30 at the Peachtree Branch of the Atlanta Public Library.

Just the Facts, Ma'am

Dr. Andrew Cline has a great blog essay about media objectivity. If you want to write a blog entry on it, you should. No matter what, I highly recommend reading Cline's explanation of objective reproting.

Voter Registration/Absentee Ballot Information

A few students have been asking questions about voter registration and absentee ballot information. Below you can see the voter registration deadlines and contact information for the Board of Elections for several counties in the Atlanta area. If you're not a Georgia resident, the best bet would be to contact your local/county board of elections ASAP if you're planning to vote. You can probably find this information with a quick Google search, but if you continue to have problems, ask me and I'll be happy to try to help.

Hope everyone is having a relaxing weekend.


VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE: OCTOBER 4TH

DEKALB COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS AND VOTER REGISTRATION 4380 MEMORIAL DRIVE, SUITE 300 DECATUR, GA 30032 Telephone: (404) 298-4020 Fax: (404) 298-4038

FULTON COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS AND VOTER REGISTRATION SUITE 4075 141 PRYOR STREET, S. W. ATLANTA, GA 30303-3450 Telephone: (404) 730-7020

HENRY COUNTY BOARD OF REGISTRARS 66 VETERANS DRIVE MCDONOUGH, GA 30253 Telephone: (770) 954-2021 Fax: (770) 898-7493

ROCKDALE COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS AND VOTER REGISTRATION SUITE J 1329 PORTMAN DRIVE CONYERS, GA 30094-6619 Telephone: (770) 785-5947

GWINNETT COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS AND VOTER REGISTRATION 75 LANGLEY DRIVE LAWRENCEVILLE, GA 30245-6900 Telephone: (770) 822-8787

DOUGLAS COUNTY BOARD OF REGISTRARS 8700 HOSPITAL DRIVE ROOM A-1003 DOUGLASVILLE, GA 30134 Telephone: (770) 920-7217

Absentee Voting You may vote by absentee ballot if:

You will be absent from your precinct from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on election day. You are 75 years of age or older. You have a physical disability which prevents you from voting in person or you are a constant caregiver of a person with a disability. You are an election official. You are observing a religious holiday which prevents you from voting in person. You are required to remain on duty in your precinct for the protection of life, health, or safety of the public. An elector may cast an absentee ballot in person at the registrar's office during the period of Monday through Friday of the week immediately preceding the date of the primary, election, or run-off primary or election without having to provide a reason.

How do I apply for an absentee ballot?

You may request an absentee ballot as early as 180 days before an election. Absentee ballots must be signed and received by the county board of registrars' office on or before election day - no absentee ballots are issued on election day. You may download an absentee ballot application and mail it or fax it to your county board of registrars' office. The application must be in writing and must contain the address to which the ballot is to be mailed, the reason for voting by absentee ballot, sufficient information to identify you as a voter, and the election in which you wish to vote. If you are physically disabled or living temporarily outside your county of residence, a close relative may apply for an absentee ballot for you.

Applications for absentee ballots by uniformed or overseas voters (pursuant to the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act) can be accepted more than 180 days prior to a primary or election in which a federal candidate appears on the ballot as well as for any runoffs resulting there from including presidential preference primaries for two general elections.

May I receive assistance with my absentee ballot?

A physically disabled or illiterate voter may receive assistance from another voter in the same county or municipality or from the same category of relatives who can make an application for or deliver an absentee ballot. If the voter is outside of the county or municipality, then a notary public can provide such assistance. Any person who assists another person to vote absentee must complete an oath prescribed by law demonstrating the statutory disability and that the ballot was completed as the voter desired. No person may assist more than ten voters in a primary, election, or runoff. A candidate on the ballot, or a relative of a candidate on the ballot, may not offer assistance during the election to any voter who is not related to the candidate.

Counting Words

Here's an interesting New York Times chart that illustrates the different emphases placed on certain topics at each party's convention by counting the number of times specific keywords were used. You'll note that the Dems mention jobs and health care far more frequently than the GOP. Meanwhile, Republicans were almsot eight times more likely to invoke Kerry's name than Democrats were to mention Bush.

Be sure to keep working on your rough drafts, but if you find an editorial, speech, or article you'd like to write about on your blog, feel free.

Transcripts of Republican Convention Speeches

Note: this is not required reading. Your main goal over the weekend is to continue working on your rough drafts. However, any students who want to do a blog entry (or a rhetorical analysis paper) on one of the campaign speeches may do so.

Just thought some readers might be interested in seeing the transcripts of the convention speeches. I'll add George W. Bush's speech over the weekend. Via Altercation:

• Rudy Giuliani
• Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Laura Bush
• Jenna and Barbara Bush
• John McCain
• Zell Miller
• Michael Reagan
• Dick Cheney