Touro Communication Club Notes #48
tourocommunicationclub.blogspot.com

THIS WEEK: Wednesday, October 29th –Film – “The Great Debaters” - 2 pm – Room 223 -27-33 West 23rd Street - A dramatization of the true story of the unlikely 1935 journey of a debate team from the historically black college, Wiley College, which challenges powerhouse Harvard College.

“The world is too much with us; late and soon,Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;”

The words of William Wordsworth’s 1807 sonnet still ring true almost 200 years later.

After the onslaught of pressured politics and pressured financial chaos, a human being – at least this human being – would not be faulted for becoming turtle-like in retreat from the blur of the world. Voltaire would encourage us to cultivate our gardens (“Cultivez son jardin.”), if we had one in New York.

On the financial front, probably the most significant news of the week was the admission of Alan Greenspan, former Fed chairman, that his argument for markets correcting themselves was incorrect. “I was wrong,” he said significantly. When the money guru of the last 25 years says he’s wrong, this is earth-shaking news.

In spite of the blur of events, several factors are apparent in the home stretch.
Obama’s trip to Hawaii to see his “Toot” (“tutu” is Hawaiian for grandmother.) seems not to have affected the daily news in the media.

Despite Obama’s best efforts, McCain seems to continue to work on the low road of ad hominum attacks.

The electoral map becomes more important with 5 states as toss-ups.

The Obama political fund-raising is approaching the gross national product of several nations.

Reports that there are growing concerns about voter fraud from malfunctioning voting machines. One lawsuit went to the Supreme Court where it was denied hearing.
Everybody’s holding their breath for an “October surprise.” Maybe the financial crisis WAS the October surprise!

But our life at Touro returns to normal after the holidays. I’m confidant that some students have forgotten they are in school and they have to come to class and to study. In my years of teaching, I have observed that after ANY vacation, students need about 4 weeks to get back into the swing of studying.

And then we have Thanksgiving and the Winter holidays! Aw shucks!

Because of the Jewish holidays, here's an extended list of our upcoming Club events:

Wednesday, October 29, 2008 – 2 pm – Room 223 – Midtown -The film “The Great Debaters” (2008) with Denzel Washington. A dramatization of the true story of the unlikely 1935 journey of a debate team from the historically black college, Wiley College, which challenges powerhouse Harvard College.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2008 – ELECTION DAY – PLEASE VOTE! Lorinda Moore and Olushile Akintade have been conducting a voter registration drive at Midtown and Taino. Over 100 new voters have been registered from Touro. More to come!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008 – 1 pm – Room 610: Discussion of the Election

What happened on Thursday, October 23, 2008 - 2 pm - Room 610 – Debate – Mock Presidential Debate.

Hal Wicke went over the foreign and domestic issues of both Republican and Democratic candidates. Lorinda Moore, Drani Gabu, Musa Bryant and Amina Bibi developed both sides to each of the issues. Steve Gradman and Marcus Vyandoff joined in the discussion.

As part of the preparation for the debate, we listed the Democratic and Republican positions on foreign and domestic issues. The foreign policy issues were analyzed first – the Iraq & Afghan wars, the credibility of the U.S. abroad, the Bush “Doctrine.” The domestic issues included the financial and housing crises, Homeland Security, energy and global warming, health care and education, immigration, the social (wedge) issues of abortion, same sex marriage, creationism and stem-cell research. It was clear that we could not cover all the issues equally. Our time was spent primarily on foreign policy issues.

As the discussion continued, it became clear that questions of Barack Obama’s relationships with William Ayers and Rev. Wright were attempts of the McCain camp to distract voters from more important issues like the financial crisis. Many media pundits view these ad hominum (attack the person, not the issue) tactics to distract the voter. We will know on November 4th whether the voter was distracted.

Inevitably, as one topic was discussed, it became clear that there were other issues that were interrelated. Probably the greatest lesson of the session was that no issue could successfully be analyzed by itself without understanding its inter-related context.

About 4 pm, we had not finished the exhaustive list of issues. Everyone was relieved that they would not have to debate each other.

The discussion which lasted until 4:30 without break was lively and demonstrated a growing understanding of the issues that face the country during this election and after

As moderator, I was impressed with the general command of the issues that the group demonstrated. Everyone seemed comfortable to express their views – and were candid if they didn’t know much about the many topics.

These sessions are always open for everyone to attend. Bring a friend and join in the excitement. See you next time.

Hal Wicke

Touro Communication Club Notes #47

tourocommunicationclub.blogspot.com

THIS WEEK: Thursday, October 23^rd – Mock Presidential Debate- 2 pm – Room 610 -50 West 23^rd Street - Our debate team will be undaunted as they take on an enormous challenge of standing in for Senators Obama and McCain. To make it inter esting the debaters will change sides for each question. Come and be a judge!

This week’s political news seemed to explode with one story after the other:

• Thursday – The final debate between Senators Obama and McCain
• Friday – Senator McCain finally appears on the Dave Letterman show
• Saturday – Gov. Sarah Palin appears on “Saturday Night Live.”
• Sunday – General Colin Powell endorses Senator Obama

Oh, yes, the financial chaos still is buffeting Wall Street and Main Street. Warren Buffet, the financier writes in the October 17^th New York Times op-ed page the following memorable quote:

“A simple rule dictates my [financial] buying: Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful.”

No wonder the Sage of Omaha has done so well!

Because of the Presidential election, not much news coverage has focused on the impact on the world of America’s financial crisis, said to be the worst since 1932. Buffet calls it “a mess, both in the United States and abroad.” The finance ministers of the G7 countries {(France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, United States of America and Canada) have been extraordinarily responsive to the crisis. This may be some confusion because there’s also the G8 countries (the same ones plus Russia) who are heads of state.

Sometimes I wonder how ordinary mortals keep all this alphabet soup clear and still walk and chew gum.

Because of the Jewish holidays, here's an extended list of our upcoming Club events:

Thursday, October 23, 2008 - 2 pm - Room 610 – Debate – Mock Presidential Debate. Members of the club will undertake the challenging task of impersonating the positions of Senators McCain and Obama. The debaters are studying the issues that face the nation and, by a coin toss, be assigned either the Democratic or Republican positions. The format will follow generally that of the first Presidential debate. A list of foreign and domestic issues will be provided in advance to the debaters (listed below). A total of six questions will be selected the list of issues below. Each team will make an opening statement. Then each debater will have 90 seconds to respond to a question, followed by a cross-examination by the opposite side. Final statements from each team will close the debate. Judges from the audience will decide on which team won the debate.

Foreign issues Iraq war Afganistan war Credibility of the U.S. abroad The U.S. role in the Middle East The Bush “Doctrine” Covert foreign operations

Domestic issues Financial crisis Housing crisis Homeland Security Energy Global warming Education Social issues (abortion, same sex marriage, creationism, stem cell research)

Wednesday, October 29, 2008 – 2 pm – The film “The Great Debaters” (2008) with Denzel Washington. A dramatization of the true story of the unlikely 1935 journey of a debate team from the historically black college, Wiley College, which challenges powerhouse Harvard College.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2008 – ELECTION DAY – PLEASE VOTE! Lorinda Moore and Olushile Akintade have been conducting a voter registration drive at Midtown and Taino. Over 100 new voters have been registered from Touro. More to come!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008 – 1 pm – Room 610: Discussion of the Election

What happened on Thursday, October 16, 2008– The film “Recount” (2008) with Kevin Spacey

Olushile Atkintade generously set up a full screen so we could see a large picture of the film. Musa Bryant, Amina Bibi, Drani Gabu, Lorinda Moore, James Millner joined newcomer Akua Weekes of the Langugages & Literature Department, George Backinoff and Hal Wicke to watch the film. Math instructor Marcus Vyandoff joined the group after his class.

The group was riveted by the rapidly paced realistic Emmy-winning dramatization of the 2000 Presidential election between Al Gore and George W. Bush. Among the free-wheeling comments during the discussion were:

• The Democrats experienced what blacks have experienced [in having voter access denied].
• There has been a consistent history of voters being challenged or denied dating back to 1776, after the Civil War in 1865, in 1920’s, 1960 and 1968. George commented, “It’s very depressing.”
• Secretary James Baker’s comment on the “process worked.” Did it? Some said yes; others said no.
• Are we “a country of laws”? Perhaps but they are often bent out of shape.
• The film seemed like a thriller.
• The Constitution is a flexible document, able to be changed along the way.
• The 2000 Supreme court decision was “an abuse of power.”
• At least there were no tanks in the street.
• Gore didn’t really fight.
• Drani’s observation at an earlier Communication Club meeting that he had thought that Americans would behave as adults during the election process, but he has felt they have behaved like children.
• Drani grew up learning to respect authority and the law.
• Lorinda grew up learning to question authority.
• The government is moving toward socialism and away from free market capitalism as a result of the financial crisis.

And many other comments too quickly spoken to be written down.

These sessions are always open for everyone to attend. Bring a friend and join in the excitement. See you next time.

Hal Wicke

Touro Communication Club Notes #46

tourocommunicationclub.blogspot.com

“Recount” (2008) with Kevin Spacey is our next political film. This Emmy-winning dramatization feels like thriller as it portrays the highly controversial 2000 Presidential election between Al Gore and George W. Bush. We’ll have a post-film discussion.

We have two melodramas playing simultaneously in America – the financial disaster and the Presidential election. Indications are that both will get much worse before they get better. In less than 3 weeks we will know who will be elected to pick up the financial mess. Americans will know on November 5^th who they chose to pick up after the elephants of Wall Street.

As these melodramas unfold, we are learning new tidbits about the financial shenanigans and even more ways to slime a Presidential candidate. Whoever said money and politics weren’t creative?

An interesting phenomenon has surfaced in the political campaign, known as the “Bradley Effect.” Named for Tom Bradley, mayor of Los Angeles, who lost his bid to become the first black governor of Califor nia against George Deukmejian, a white Republican, the polls had predicted that Bradley would win the election. The question is quickly raised whether the voters had lied to the pollsters.

As the election melodrama spins its own thrills, the polls show that Barack Obama is 5-10 points ahead of McCain in most of the polls. Whether the Bradley effect will repeat itself as voters – particularly white voters – say one thing to pollsters and vote another way in the voting booth. We’ll be discussing the minutiae of the 2008 election for months to come.

;

Because of the Jewish holidays, here's an extended list of our upcoming Club events:

Thursday, October 16, 2008 – 2 pm Room 226 – The film “Recount” (2008) with Kevin Spacey. This Emmy-winning dramatization of the highly controversial 2000 Presidential election between Al Gore and George W. Bush which was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Thursday, October 23, 2008 - 2 pm - Room 610 – Debate – Mock Presidential Debate. Members of the club will undertake the challenging task of impersonating the positions of Senators McCain and Obama. The debaters are studying the issues that face the nation and, by a coin toss, be assigned either the Democratic or Republican positions. The format will follow generally that of the first Presidential debate. A list of foreign and domestic issues will be provided in advance to the debaters (listed below). A total of six questions will be selected the list of issues below. Each team will make an opening statement. Then each debater will have 90 seconds to respond to a question, followed by a cross-examination by the opposite side. Final statements from each team will close the debate. Judges from the audience will decide on which team won the debate.

Foreign issues Iraq war Afganistan war Credibility of the U.S. abroad The U.S. role in the Middle East The Bush “Doctrine” Covert foreign operations

Domestic issues Financial crisis Housing crisis Homeland Security Energy Global warming Education Social issues (abortion, same sex marriage, creationism, stem cell research)

Wednesday, October 29, 2008 – 2 pm – The film “The Great Debaters” (2008) with Denzel Washington. A dramatization of the true story of the unlikely 1935 journey of a debate team from the historically black college, Wiley College, which challenges powerhouse Harvard College.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2008 – ELECTION DAY – PLEASE VOTE! Lorinda Moore and Olushile Akintade have been conducting a voter registration drive at Midtown and Taino. Over 100 new voters have been registered from Touro. More to come!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008 – 1 pm – Room 610: Discussion of the Elec tion

What happened on October 7, 2008 – The film “The Candidate” (1973) with Robert Redford.

George Backinoff led a lively post film discussion with Musa Bryant, Lorinda Moore, Steven Gradman and Hal Wicke present. Several people poked their heads into the room during the film but did not stay.

“Pretty realistic” was the general reaction to the film, even though it was made 25 years ago. The pace and movie-making held up well, despite the audience realized that the 2008 media strategies and technology are much more sophisticated.

General observations included:

• The behind-the-scenes behaviors were new in film in 1973. If it were done in 2008, about 30 minutes could have been cut from the film’s length of 1:50.
• The front man (the candidate) has little to say as he is manipulated by his handlers.
• Comparison Redford is to Obama as Don Porter is to McCain. Age and beauty.
• George W. Bush had speech writers tell him what to say.
• Analogy to Rosa Parks – she was picked for her “starring role” in the civil rights movement because she fit the necessary criteria for the required heroine needed to refuse to get off the bus.
• Robert Redford’s character was picked because he fit certain criteria, made apparent by Peter Boyle’s character of the campaign manager.
• Today’s message would be packaged in a slicker manner.
• Mario Cuomo was elected 3 times as the New York’s Governor and did nothing while in office. [Cuomo was known as the “Hamlet on the Hudson.”
• An elected official has to DO something once in office to justify his campaign rhetoric.
• Dwight Eisenhower was elected two 2 terms because he was a WWII hero, but did nothing while in office. And these were considered America’s “Golden Years.”
• What do we learn? Maybe having a do-nothing president is not such a bad thing.
• But FDR had to do something in 1932 after the 1929 Market crash under Herbert Hoover.
• Currently, America is $63 trillion in debt.
• The2008 negative campaigning is turning off people to politics.
• Sophistication becomes jaded behavior: “I don’t believe the campaign ads anymore.”

I was struck at how lively the discussion was despite having so few people present. The next film, “Recount” is as close to a documentary as fiction will allow.

These sessions are always open for everyone to attend. Bring a friend and join in the excitement. See you next time.

Hal Wicke

Touro Communication Club Notes #45

tourocommunicationclub.blogspot.com

The Club’s film series begins next week with “The Candidate” (1973) with Robert Redford.(see below for details). George Backinoff will moderate the post-film discussion.

Although the Vice-Presidential debate and the financial crisis and Congressional bailout votes have dominated the news cycle for the past week (Will it pass? Won’t it pass? Will Governor Palin be able to perform well? Will Senator Biden control his mouth?), there were a few thousand news stories which have been put on the inside pages of the media.

• Have you heard about the pirates off Somali capturing a ship carrying $30 million worth of tanks, ammunition and grenade launchers?
• The $40 trillion-to-1 inflation in Zimbabwe?
• The election of a woman as prime minister of Israel?
• The disintegration of turmoil into war in Pakistan?
• The emergence of Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez as a world power broker?
• The two Alaskan legal trials (Palin’s ‘Troupergate” and Senator Stephen’s corruption trial)?
• Mayor Bloomberg’s decision to run for a 3^rd term, requiring a change in the 2-term law?
• A bailout for California as a result from the financial disaster? Will there be other states to follow?
• The controversy over the new novel, “The Jewel of Medina,” the story of first wife of Islam’s prophet Mohammed and attack on the author?

But you probably DO know about:

• Rosie O’Donnell returning to TV
• “Rap City” will end its run.
• The political visitors on “The View” and “Oprah.”
• Movies like “The Dark Knight,” “The Righteous Kill,” or “Beverly Hills Chihuahua”

If I insulted you, I apologize. Do I have a bias in the above lists ? You bet. What you notice in the world is ALWAYS your choice. But for me, choice need never be either/or. For me, it is always BOTH/AND. We bring more to the table with wider awareness and knowledge.

No one can successfully FORCE you to respond to anyone or anything. Even in a totalitarian country, you have control over your thoughts – if you are aware and willing to endure great physical duress.

Because of the Jewish holidays, here's an extended list of our upcoming Club events:

Tuesday, October 7, 2008 – 2 pm – Room 226 The film “The Candidate” (1973) with Robert Redford. This Oscar winning script takes a biting look at the nature of politics.

After the film, we’ll discuss the many aspects of Robert Redford’s experience running for office, the “handling” of the candidate, the opposing messages and the impact of Redford’s “pretty boy” looks toward stacking the outcome. Most importantly, the final scene make strong editorial comment about what a candidate is going to do once elected.

Thursday, October 16, 2008 – 2 pm Room 226 – The film “Recount” (2008) with Kevin Spacey. This Emmy-winning dramatization of the highly controversial 2000 Presidential election between Al Gore and George W. Bush which was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Thursday, October 23, 2008 - 2 pm - Room 610 – Debate – Mock Presidential Debate. Members of the club will undertake the challenging task of impersonating the positions of Senators McCain and Obama. The debaters are studying the issues that face the nation and, by a coin toss, be assigned either the Democratic or Republican positions. The format will follow generally that of the first Presidential debate. A list of foreign and domestic issues will be provided in advance to the debaters (listed below). A total of six questions will be selected the list of issues below. Each team will make an opening statement. Then each debater will have 90 seconds to respond to a question, followed by a cross-examination by th e opposite side. Final statements from each team will close the debate. Judges from the audience will decide on which team won the debate.

Foreign issues Iraq war Afganistan war Credibility of the U.S. abroad The U.S. role in the Middle East The Bush “Doctrine” Covert foreign operations

Domestic issues Financial crisis Housing crisis Homeland Security Energy Global warming Education Social issues (abortion, same sex marriage, creationism, stem cell research)

Wednesday, October 29, 2008 – 2 pm – The film “The Great Debaters” (2008) with Denzel Washington. A dramatization of the true story of the unlikely 1935 journey of a debate team from the historically black college, Wiley College, which challenges powerhouse Harvard College.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2008 – ELECTION DAY – PLEASE VOTE! Lorinda Moore and Olushile Akintade have been conducting a voter registration drive at Midtown and Taino. Over 100 new voters have been registered from Touro. More to come!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008 – Back to normal:. Discussion of the Election

What happened on October 2, 2008 – Theatre exploration

The session started slowly with Catherine Gaffigan, one of the Communication department’s instructors, and James Millner examining a sheet of theatre topics prepared by Hal Wicke. Then Drani Gabu arrived followed by Olushile Akintade and Lorinda Moore. Steve Gradman and Marcus Vayndorf joined the group near the end of the session.

The group chose to focus on some aspect of acting. Catherine asked why James and Drani were attracted to acting. James felt it provided gratification, a kind of self-help to improve memory “by enhancing the pathways of the brain.” It also helped with communication, he said. Catherine paraphrased his comments by adding, “For you, i t’s like waking up the skills we all have.”

James was interested in the play, “Fences,” by the late Pulitzer-prize winning playwright August Wilson, which he found very interesting. Catherine suggested he might look at the plays of Athol Fugard, the white South African playwright. James thought the group might put on a production of the Wilson play. He liked the idea of getting into a character.

Drani felt that he would gain greater communication skills by studying acting, particularly with working on his English articulation. Catherine commented that Drani seemed “hungry” to learn more.

As Shile and Lorinda arrived, Catherine began working with the group on their breathing skills. She demonstrated how to do “diaphragmatic breathing” with the solar plexus. Each of the four practiced their individual breathing exercises.

Shile shared that he sang in a church choir and his choir director was constantly saying, “Sing from your diaphragm!” He didn’t know what it meant. But he felt he felt more aware and at peace as he was doing the breathing exercises.

Lorinda commented that she was exhausted from running around putting flyers for the film series and found the breathing allowed her to become centered and focused. She called it a “blood pressure exercise.” “When you breathe deeply, you find out who you are,” Lorinda said. Since she was having a quiz in her 6 o’clock class, she would do some deep breathing to calm down.

Drani felt lighter after the breathing exercise. James thought that deep breathing would be useful in daily life.

A second standing exercise was the clenching of the right fist, then the left fist, then both fists and inhaling and exhaling on a count of 1 to 6,

Throughout, Catherine noted that “The body remembers before the brain remembers.” “A body knows how to breathe, but we forget as adults.” “So many things take us away from ourselves.” “Through breathing we get to our essential self.”

A third exercise was the moving of the tongue from the bottom teeth to top teeth as quickly as possible while looking into a hand mirror to watch the movement.

For the next time the theatre group met – after the election 9 3 Catherine suggested that each would bring in some text to work on.

• James will bring in a scene from “A Soldier’s Play” by August Wilson.
• Shile will bring in a selection from his newly published novel, “Wings of the Wind.”
• Lorinda will bring in two of her poems.
• Drani will bring in a selection from his autobiography he is working on.

The group discussed how new people who arrive in the future will be integrated into the quartet who have already had some experience. Catherine felt integrating newcomers into the group would not be a problem. Hal suggested that we begin all our future Communication club sessions with some deep breathing.

These sessions are always open for everyone to attend. Bring a friend and join in the excitement. See you next time.

Hal Wicke

Touro Communication Club Notes #44

tourocommunicationclub.blogspot.com

Well, the first 2008 Presidential Debate is history. Both sides are claiming victory. There were no gaffes or major missteps. Many people thought McCain and Obama debated to a draw. Although both Senators used exaggerations, hyperbolic statements, stretching the truth, quotes out of context, it would take an expert to figure out the precision of their statements.

From a communication viewpoint, I’ve become concerned with several factors.

1. The polls continue to show a neck-and-neck horse race. In the remaining days before the election on Tuesday, November 4^th, little things could assume magnified importance and become “game-changers.” Oddly, the financial crisis looms over the election, but seems mysteriously separated from the contest

2. Regardless of what the candidates say, the polls indicate that the voters are holding their positions. That implies that the voters are emotionally steadfast in their support of their candidates.

3. This leads me to observe that no argument is ultimately persuasive, if the voter has made up his/her mind. My frequent observation is that “Emotion trumps reason, especially in crisis.” I begin to doubt that ANYTHING can be taught “reasonably” if emotion is so dominant.

4. I also begin to wonder how to teach my students how to listen critically when so much of the speech-making is full of factual manipulation. How does a person with little or no specific evidence figure out whether the speaker is distorting the facts. How can anyone recognize “spin” or a manipulation of the truth is being thrown at them? Despite my feeble efforts, I still dunno – yet.

5. Lastly, the phrase “You don’t have a second chance to make a first impression” is certainly true in politics as it is in job interviews. Aristotle’s “ethos” seems to dominate “logos” and “pathos” Personality can be more important than substance.

In the coming weeks, we have a chance to take a close observation of two political campaigns – one fictional (“The20Candidate”) and one factual dramatization (“Recount”) As we watch both films, observe the strategic and tactical manipulation that both sides employ to win the election. “The Great Debaters” dramatizes the enormous effort that debaters experience as they prepare for the most demanding intellectual combat.

Here's our schedule:

Thursday, October 2 , 2008 – 2 pm – Room 610 – Theatre – We will discuss the range of possible activities we could explore in this new component. We should close with some elementary acting exercises. There are so many aspects of the theatre that can enhance everyone’s presentation.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008 – 2 pm – Room 226 The film “The Candidate” (1973) with Robert Redford. This Oscar winning script takes a biting look at the nature of politics.

After the film, we’ll discuss the many aspects of Robert Redford’s experience running for office, the “handling” of the candidate, the opposing messages and the impact of Redford’s “pretty boy” looks toward stacking the outcome. Most importantly, the final scene make strong editorial comment about what a candidate is going to do once elected.

What happened on September 24, 2008 – Discussing the Politics of the Election

Somehow I didn’t get the sign-in sheet. So I will have to guess at who was there Richard Green. Olushile Akintade, James Millner, Brian Brown, Amina Bibi were there when Hal Wicke, George Backinoff, Lorinda Moore and Jason Carvell arrive from a Faculty Development meeting.Marcus Vay ndorf has already left. If I missed others, I’ll include them in the next notes.

As near as I could deduce from the excitement in the air about the discussion, the large group had a productive discussion. Richard who galvanized the discussion has printed Chapter 11of the debate text he uses at Avenue J entitled, “Logic is Not Enough: Use other Sources of Persuasion, too.”

In the discussion one term stood out. Senator Joe Biden was frequently accused of “logorrhea.” Defined as excessive talking, one jokester called it “Diarrhea of the mouth.”

Some of the issues I gleaned included:

• There was a clash of speaking styles between McCain and Obama. McCain’s short punchy sentences contrasted with Obama’s longer sentences. (One of the rhetorical complaints about Senator Kerry in the 2004 election was that he spoke in “paragraphs” while George Bush delivered “bumper-sticker” sentences. (Do people listen to paragraphs?)
• There were abundant comments about the candidates delivering lies, counter-lies, distortions, mis-representations, stretching the facts,
• Many sound bites seem ed ot be persuasive.
• The 1960 debate between Nixon and Kennedy – the first in television history- demonstrated how pretty looks trumped substance. George Backinoff commented on how an audiotape demonstrated how much more substantive Nixon’s presentation was, yet on television people noticed his scowl and his five-o’clock shadow.
• People seem to live in a bubble. Do election issues ever reach them?

The conversation could have continued far beyond our time. As people were leaving Amina raised the issue of the recent Pakistani bombings and her concern that nothing much had appeared in the media. She wanted to organize some kind of political protest action. After many suggestions from Jason, George, Lorinda,. Hal suggested that she write up a proposal that the club would discuss at our next gathering.

Next time, the club will begin alternating between general topics in communication, debate and the theatre/drama.

These sessions continue to be open for everyone to attend. Bring a friend and join in the excitement. See you next time.

Hal Wicke

Touro Communication Club Notes #43
tourocommunicationclub.blogspot.com

Watch for the film schedule: “The Candidate” (1973) with Robert Redford: “Recount” (2008) with Kevin Spacey; and “The Great Debaters” (2008) with Denzel Washington.

This week, the Presidential race took a backseat to the financial crisis on Wall Street which soon will have its impact on Main Street. In the worst financial calamity since the Depression in 1929, Americans will be taking on $1 trillion (that’s $1,000,000,000,000) debt. Much of debt will be underwritten by Washington who has foreign countries holding our enormous I.O.U.s..

Two competing philosophies collided this week as unfettered free market capitalism imploded without adequate government regulation, weakened by the current administration. In the newly configured arrangement on Wall Street, government and business must work together as intertwined entities. Hmmm, a new thought.

WRITE DOWN THESE DATES
The Commission on Presidential Debates has announced the schedule:


First presidential debate on Domestic Policy:

Friday, September 26, 2008

University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS

Vice presidential debate:

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Washington University in St. Louis, MO

Second presidential debate

(a town meeting format):

Tuesday, October, 2008

Belmont University, Nashville, TN

Third presidential debate on Foreign Policy:

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY.

The Commission also announced formats for the debates.

All debates will be ninety minutes in length and start at 9:00 p.m. ET. Each debate will be administered by a single moderator.

The first presidential debate will focus on domestic policy; the third presidential debate will focus on foreign policy.

The second presidential (town meeting format) debate will include any issues raised by members of that audience, and the vice presidential debate will include domestic and foreign policy.

In each debate except the town meeting format, the candidates will be seated at a table with the moderator.

Each of those debates will be divided into 8 ten-minute issue segments; the moderator will introduce each segment with an issue on which each candidate will comment, after which the moderator will facilitate further discussion of the issue, including direct exchange between the candidates, for the balance of that segment. Time will be reserved for closing statements by each of the candidates in each debate.

Here's our schedule:
Wednesday, September 24, 2008 – 2 pm Room 610 – Debate - SPAR debate – the usual silliness that really tests linear thinking and relevant evidence. The Greed debate took on new meaning with this financial crisis!

Thursday, October 2 , 2008 – 2 pm – Room 610 – Theatre – We will discuss the range of possible activities we could explore in this new component. We should close with some elementary acting exercises. There are so many aspects of the theatre that can enhance everyone’s presentation.
What happened on September 17, 2008 – A Potluck Discussion
Present: Lorinda Moore, Richard Green, Drani Gabu, Olushile Akintade, James Millner, Hal Wicke, Amina Bibi, (newcomer) Marcus Vayndorf and Stephen Gradman.

We had the greatest of intentions of talking about gender communication, but Lorinda’s story set the tone for a free-for-all discussion about a variety of topics.

Lorinda shared her surprise reaction to the view of business expressed by students in her marketing class. She reported the students viewed that the sole purpose of business was to make money. She felt the students did not have a sense of morality or ethics in how their viewed business.

As the discussion developed, it was clear that a clash of cultures between what the purpose of business was. ”Business is business,” said one person. Questions were raised at to whom corporations were responsible. Corporations seem to hide behind a façade of doing good but are only interested in making money. The group seemed to be divided in its view of business.

Newcomer Marcus, a Mathematics instructor, offered his authoritative worldview of systems. He spoke of how Soviet Russia exploited workers because of its belief in the Communist system.

Before Marcus left for class, Hal asked him if he was willing to undergo a communication analysis in public. He graciously accepted, not fully knowing what he was getting into. Hal pointed Marcus’ strong voice, his definitive gestures and relentless delivery.

A discussion continued regarding how speaking style influences the receipt of information by the listener.

As the group was departing, Hal said that Lonyell Tolbert of the Midtown Learning Center asked him if he would start a drama club. He said that he couldn’t do an additional club, but he was willing to add a theatre/drama component to the Communication Club meetings. The group seemed to think that would be a good addition to the club’s offerings.

In the future meetings, the club will alternate between general topics in communication, de bate and the theatre/drama.

These sessions continue to be open for everyone to attend. Bring a friend and join in the excitement. See you next time.

Hal Wicke

Touro Communication Club Notes #42

tourocommunicationclub.blogspot.com

To see the two presidential candidates walk together down the ramp at Ground Zero on September 11^th was an unusual sight. It was odd to have a day of respite between the nasty campaigning. To add to the political stew, Gov. Sarah Palin went under the microscope with ABC anchor Charles Gibson. (She kept calling him “Charlie” as if she had known him for years, rather than second.) (Sorry for the mixed metaphor.)

With Hurricane Ike as a catastrophic distraction to the presidential campaign, both events demonstrated how Mother Nature and Human Nature can be so devastating to human aspirations. In New York City, we forget how powerful Mother Nature can be. We are also reminded in this campaign – and others before it – how poorly humans treat eat other. It sometimes feels that having a positive impulse is a lonely activity. The debris of human history is sometimes punctuated with moments of upbeat actions. We seem to always have to relive constantly the dreadful contents of Pandora’s box before we discover the sliver of hope at the bottom.

These thoughts gave rise to this week’s Communication Club topic of strategies in presidential politics. If we can learn how to strategize the direction of our lives from watching experts compete for the big brass ring, maybe then we can adopt some of these strategies to our own lives. We can only observe, listen and practice applying them.

Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of talking at length to the freshman Congresswoman, Yvette Clarke, a Democrat from the 11^th district of Brooklyn, at our annual neighborhood block party. Among the slew of questions I asked her was, “What did you learn upon arriving in Washington that you didn’t know before?” She was quick to respond, “I didn’t realize how naïve I was about how difficult it is to get things done in Congress. The gridlock makes it virtually impossible to do anything constructive.” As she approaches her second election, she is running unopposed and will no doubt be re-elected by what she calls the most diverse Congressional district in the nation. I was struck by how few people came up to speak to her.

Here's our schedule:

Wednesday, September 17, 2008 – 2 pm Room 610. Club – Gender Communication. How men talk to women. How women talk to women. How men talk to men. Ever since Adam and Eve there has been a battle between Mars and Venus.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008 – 2 pm Room 610 – Debate - SPAR debate – the usual silliness that really tests linear thinking and relevant evidence

The Club will be co-sponsoring with Mr. Mason an upcoming film series co-sponsored by the Club and Mr. Mason’s office on Debate and Presidential Politics. Possible films might be “The Great Debaters” (2008) with Denzel Washington, “Recount” (2008), a fictionalized documentary about the 2000 election with Kevin Spacey and “The Candidate” (1972) with Robert Redford.

What happened on September 10, 2008 – Strategies in Presidential Politics

Present: Lorinda Moore, Olushile Akintade, James Millner, Carlisle Yearwood, Hal Wicke and, at the end, George Backinoff.

On the whiteboard, Hal had written a chart

+ The Goal: White House.

+ The Competitors: McCain/Palin and Obama/Biden

+ The Issues:

• Iraq/Afghanistan
• Housing
• Security
• Taxes
• Health Care
• Education
• Energy
• Bush legacy – domestic and foreign
• Wedge issues: same-sex marriage, abortion, stem-cell research, gun rights, women as presidential/vice-presidential candidates, “Bridge to Nowhere” and earmarks.

After a brief summary of each of the positions of both candidates, the group then focused on how each issue was to be strategized to present the most persuasive campaign program for the McCain camp (because the Obama camp was over-represented in the group.

The exchange for the next 90 minutes was fast, furious and exciting. We came up with a list of strategies that the McCain might use to defeat Obama. They included:

• Float untested ideas
• Push the envelope
• Change the definition of words
• Switch issues when unable to defend another issue
• Mea culpa – admit wrong on minor issues
• Assume a bi-partisan stance – regardless of what the reality was/is
• Appeal to “Country” and “Patriotism”
• Plan for an “October Surprise” (perhaps the Palin choice)
• Go negative – find all the negatives in the Obama/Biden campaign
• Discredit the accomplishments of the opponent
• Show family support during appearances
• Puff the highlights of the candidates’ resume
• Push “Maverick” concept to show independence from Washington
• Use “bait and switch” tactic” – show how opponent will promise more, deliver less
• Of course, there’s the always desperate tactic of “lying” or better, “making up facts.”

As our energy flagged, the discussion turned to whether we used these strategies in our personal relationships. The question of whether calculating a response was manipulating a relationship. Do I have a conscious agenda with another person? Should I? How carefully should I/ must I choose my words carefully? Or should I say what I want to say every time? Should I be open and free or calculating?

We probably could have continued for another hour or so. But we decided that our next topic should be “Gender Communication” – how men and women talk to each other, how men talk to men and how women talk to women. The topic is an important one in all our Interpersonal Communication classes, but we are going to start with everyone’s definition and proceed from there. It should be exciting.

After the session, Hal received the following email from Carlisle Yearwood,

Your last meeting was quite uplifting. In fact, it was so inspirational, that I hated to leave. I felt a sense of loss when I left you, because you were offering an inter-disciplinary lesson about life and education. It had Latin, Logic, Rhetoric, Politics, History, and Creative Thinking. These disciplines were subject to the effective use of language.

Carlisle is always very generous in his comments. However, without the enormous contributions of everyone present - Lorinda, Shile, James and, of course, dear Professor Yearwood, our discussion would have fallen flat on its face.

From time to time, I have to pinch myself to realize how extraordinarily articulate this group has become over the last year. There is no hesitancy about expressing an opinion, even if it is contrary to the prevailing ideas.

These sessions continue to be open for everyone to attend. Bring a friend and join in the excitement. See you next time.

Hal Wicke