Baptist anti-blogging resolution

A new (to me) Brethren blog, District Executive Minister Notebook, by Herman Kauffman, Executive Minister of the Northern Indiana District, found a Baptist anti-blogging resolution which opposes blogging. Fortunately for bloggers, it's a little more nuanced than an out and out banning of the platform. According to the resolution, the real problem from blogging comes

when it is used to cause division and disharmony among the members of our Southern Baptist Family; and since personal differences should not be dealt with in public view.

This seems like a fair reason to oppose blogging. Public dialogue comes with responsibility. So too does belonging to a community of Christ's followers (see Matthew 18). Kauffman sums it up nicely:

It can and should be done without attacking others one disagrees with. The same can be said for preaching are other methods of communicating one's beliefs. Enough said.

Dirty sexy theology

In last night's episode of “Dirty Sexy Money,” the character Rev. Brian Darling had one of the best lines on television in a long time.

Isn't that what church is supposed to be about, dragging our horrible past through our imperfect present towards the perfect future?

It sounds like the writers might actually know theology, or finally tracked down a good religion consultant (if that job even exists, I want it!). Whoever wrote that line, hold on to her!

Python, Patrick...What's the diff?

Someone (not Kate Clinton) wrote this on the huffpo blog:

The New York Times covered the story of one family visiting from Virginia. Unable to see Monty Python's Spamalot [due to the Broadway strike], they instead went to St. Patrick's Cathedral. It was a natural substitution in their minds. No one ever expects the Spanish Inquisition.

I love it! This is a clear testimony to the fact that true art is by definition religious...and that religion is spammy!

Writers are the real reporters on their own strike

Again, it's not the journalists telling us what's happening. This time, it's one of the writers themselves, blogging at Huffpo, who gives some insight into what's actually happening:

The big question was why would our negotiating committee give up DVDs? It made no sense. And then we learned the truth: the producers pulled the old Charlie Brown and the football, leading the WGA to believe if they gave up DVDs they'd offer some internet formula for residuals. And then did no such thing.

You can read the full post here.

Some better strike coverage

Of course as soon as I say that there's little good coverage in American media, I come across this piece from Bloomberg that gives a fairly good background and discusses implications beyond what reruns will be on tonight.

Aussie news tells more of writers strike, future entertainment strikes

The Sydney Morning Herald has a good article. It makes me wonder why the international media seem to be doing a better job covering the strike.

Here are some important facts that I haven't found in American reports:

Talks later this week will try to avoid a shutdown of Broadway next month because of a looming strike by stagehands.

Workers have already voted to put out the lights on Broadway during the lucrative Christmas season if producers try to enforce cuts to hours and conditions...

The president of the Writers Guild of America (East), Michael Winship, said..."They say the internet might turn out to be a bummer. Our response is they are already making … a lot of money on the internet," Mr Winship said.

"We say the solution is simple: a revenue-sharing model that's technology neutral, where it doesn't matter where they make their money. If they make a lot of money, that's great, we make money too. If it's a bummer, that's it."

Writers are asking for a 2.5 per cent share of the gross profit on new and existing media such as DVDs, where they receive about five US cents a sale. That was less than the companies that made the packaging...

On Broadway, 39 theatres face closure unless the union representing stagehands and the League of American Theatres and Producers can reach agreement on a new contract.

The league has said that fewer than half its shows recover costs and that the stagehands' demands would increase costs by at least 30 per cent.

A union spokesman, Bruce Cohen, said proposed widespread cuts to workers' conditions were unacceptable.

Writer's strike may damage advertising

How you know someone's doing things right in Hollywood:

The Hollywood writers strike may prompt television advertisers to cancel purchases or demand additional spots to compensate for declining ratings, Standard & Poor's said in a report. A prolonged strike is likely to damage ratings as networks substitute reruns and reality programs for popular shows, driving down the value of commercial time, S&P credit analyst Heather Goodchild in New York wrote yesterday.

Read the whole story at Huffpo.

NPR's 'Talk of the Nation' on writers strike

Talk of the Nation discusses the writers strike in today's program. I sent in a comment to this blog post: Battlestar Galactica. Get To It.

NYT strike story unfit for print

In a Huffpo blog post, Glenn W. Smith calls for some good sense:

"Let's drink to the hard-working writers. Spare a thought for the rag-taggy people. Glasses, scarves, and all."

But at what cost? A pretty darned biased story by New York Times writers slanted against their own colleagues.

Leno on writers: 'Without them I'm not funny'

Leno distributed doughnuts and expressed support for strikers picketing outside NBC studios in Burbank. 'I've been working with these people for 20 years,' Leno was quoted as saying by Los Angeles Times. 'Without them I'm not funny.'

Read the full story

National Writers Union endorses anti-war movement

This is rather old news, from (April 2006) and a different writers union than the one that is on my mind right now, but it's the National Writers Union, the union of freelance writers, closer to where I am right now in my career, and probably will be for many years to come. But it is significant nevertheless, and encouraging to me as a possible future member of this organization.

"The NWU National Executive Committee voted unanimously...to endorse the April 29 [2006] March Against the Iraq War in New York City."

Contract 2007 Negotiations Statement

WGA's statement from November 4:

The WGA Negotiating Committee, on behalf of the Writers of Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), has issued the following statement regarding Contract 2007 negotiations:

Early today, the WGA completely withdrew its DVD proposal, which the Companies said was a stumbling block. Yet, the Companies still insisted on the following:

• No jurisdiction for most of new media writing.
• No economic proposal for the part of new media writing where they do propose to give coverage.
• Internet downloads at the DVD rate.
• No residual for streaming video of theatrical product.
• A "promotional" proposal that allows them to reuse even complete movies or TV shows on any platform with no residual. This proposal alone destroys residuals.
• A "window” of free reuse on the Internet that makes a mockery of any residual.

The AMPTP made no response to any of the other proposals that the WGA has made since July. The AMPTP proposed that today's meeting be "off the record,” meaning no press statements, but they have reneged on that.

Writers Strike :: The Hot Blog: Why We Strike

The Hot Blog: Why We Strike:

I’ve embarked on trying to figure out a way to make the financial side of the industry unions clearer.

After reading this, it might not be a lot clearer, but at least you'll get a better understanding of just how complicated this whole thing is.

Unions offering support to writers

Major Hollywood unions were lining up behind TV and film writers Tuesday as last-minute contract talks resumed amid fears of a possible strike.

A powerful branch of the Teamsters union told its 4,500 members they can honor picket lines if TV and film writers strike after their contract expires at midnight Wednesday.

Teamsters Local 399 said in a Web posting that as a union, it has a legal obligation to honor its contracts with producers...

Members of the Screen Actors Guild have also voiced strong support for writers, but officials with that union have said its 150,000 members were obligated to report to work if writers strike...

Early Tuesday, writers visited studio lots to distribute leaflets to Teamster truck drivers urging support of their cause.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents networks and studios, sent a letter to craft unions representing electricians, drivers and other trades, reminding them of the "no strike" clauses in their contracts.

"We expect each union to comply with this no strike obligation and order your members to work," alliance president J. Nicholas Counter wrote.

Read the full story here.

Writers strike coverage about tv shows, not issues

Some observations and interesting stories:

1. Reading news this morning about the strike, I noticed that most of the coverage is about how the strike will impact tv viewers, not about the issues behind the strike. After all, the writers aren't in charge of the newsroom; the networks are. They want the public to sympathize with them, not the writers.


2. On a cbs2.com Los Angeles news video, Scribe Wars: Writers Trade Pens For Picket Signs, the reporter tells that the viewers that the strike will impact "florists, caterers, make up artists, all the people that make these productions possible." That's the point of a strike, and it's when you know when it's one that will work. If one tiny segment of a shop strikes, it will be meaningless unless all other departments rely on that shop. These writers know what they're doing.


3. CBS 2 fortunately interviewed a few striking writers for this piece.

One said: "It's greed at the bottom of it all. the producers have decided what they are going to do. And SAG is not going to cross our picket lines."

Another: "we just want to get paid for the work that we do."


4. One caption from the Yahoo Photos strike gallery said:

Letterman joked this week that if U.S. film and TV writers go on strike, as is widely feared, he would be forced to write his own material to keep his show on the air.

I'm not quite sure how that's a joke.


5. Jon Stewart will personally cover salaries for the writers of "Daily Show" and "Colbert Report" during the next two weeks to avoid any financial hardship for the union members.

More links on writers' strike

Writers Guild of America Google News Search

Contract 2007: WGA West

Contract 2007: WGA East

Writers on strike; Grey's star blasts writers

It makes me so happy when the biggest star on my favorite tv show supports those in my profession:

“Grey’s Anatomy is not prepared for the Writers’ Guild of America strike,” Patrick Dempsey told Entertainment Tonight in an interview airing Monday. “We are not that far ahead. We have enough show to take us through Christmas, then we’ll see if that’s the end of the season.”

The actor said he isn’t worried personally, but the strike could affect other cast and crew members.

“My concern is not so much for myself because I’ll be alright, but people who are living paycheck to paycheck are gonna be damaged profoundly,” he said. “And I think that’s a real tragedy.”

Whatever happened to solidarity? Actors and writers are both creative professionals, and actors couldn't act if they had no script (reality shows don't count). Entertainment celebrities would not exist without those who create their shows to begin with. Yes, there are studios and producers, but do you see them writing anything? Instead, they're most likely to show reruns, which the writers already created.

To follow the writers strike, check out the related news and opinion on Huffpo, which has given a lot of real estate to this crucial movement. For a good intro on what this is all about (it's residuals...payments for online viewing and dvd sales), start with this post.

UPDATE 11/10/07: I've changed my mind on Dempsey. Read this post to hear his comments mean exactly the opposite.

Obama on UFOs

Newsweek asked Obama about immigrants, and then switched the subject to a different type of alien, but one which has nevertheless been a part of the campaign discourse.

Where are you on UFOs?
I have not seen any signs of alien life forms. I leave this between Rep. Dennis Kucinich and Rudy Giuliani. I'm sure they would have very different approaches to aliens, though. Dennis is much more welcoming.

They would get driver's licenses.
They would get driver's licenses, exactly. Rudy: ready to shoot them down.

Some Guy With a Website provides some reflection on President Bush's UFO experience.

via Huffpo

"Senator Clinton is voting like a hawk...talking like a dove"

The NYT quotes John Edwards' new campaign speech whichpoints out the biggest flaw of Hillary Clinton's campaign:

“Senator Clinton is voting like a hawk in Washington, while talking like a dove in Iowa and New Hampshire.”

via Huffpo