Lowering the Bar

Obama's Campaign Font Said to Offer Hope, Geometric Simplicity

For those of you wondering about the secret of Barack Obama's success, that mystery has been solved-- it's the font:

Steven Heller: As a branding expert, can you tell me what it is about the typographical scheme of Senator Obama's campaign that is unlike his challengers' ?

[Graphic designer] Brian Collins: [A]s a result of their approach to design, the Obama campaign really stands out. From the bold "change" signs to their engaging Web site to their recognizable lapel pins, they've used a single-minded visual strategy to deliver their campaign's message with greater consistency and, as a result, greater collective impact. The use of typography is the linchpin to the program.

This appeared in the New York Times not too long ago, although you probably remember most of it from Obama's book, "The Typography of Hope."  It continued:

Q: What is it about the typeface Gotham that adds personality to the Obama brand?

A: I don’t think that Gotham adds any personality to Senator Obama's brand. I think it just amplifies the personality that's already there. . . . With that said, though, there's an oxymoronic quality to Gotham, which is why I think it's become so popular. It has a blunt, geometric simplicity, which usually makes words feel cold and analytical . . . , but it also feels warm. It's substantial yet friendly. Up-to-date yet familiar. That's a tough hat trick. And Gotham has another quality that makes it succeed: it just looks matter-of-fact. . . .

Q: Could this have been accomplished with other typeface(s)?

A: Yes.

There was an oxymoronic quality to this exchange, which sounded important while actually being sort of pointless.  It's a fine font, there's no question.  But is it the font you would want to see when you get an email from the White House at 3 a.m.?  That's what you should be asking yourself - does it have the strength of character(s) we need to win the War on Terror?  I have a lot of respect for McCain, but that guy is still using Courier, for Christ's sake.

Whatever happens in November, at least we will be done with WingDings.  Hopefully.

Link: Campaign Stops (a New York Times blog)
Link: See Gotham in its native habitat at BarackObama.com

Idaho Official: Democratic Primary Will Be Three-Way Contest; Also Pointless

Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa said on April 16 that the state's Democratic primary, set for May 27, will be a three-person race.  In addition to better-known candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, Keith Judd has also qualified to participate, Ysursa said, even though he currently is a Texas resident.

Specifically, he is residing in the Beaumont Federal Correctional Institution, where he was sent after being convicted of making threats at the University of New Mexico in 1999.  He would likely have difficulty serving as President if elected, as he is required to live at the BFCI until 2013.  Although I suppose he could pardon himself.

Ysursa said that Judd, shown here in a prison photo either wearing a long ponytail or being attacked by a ferret, qualified for the ballot by sending in the required form and paying the $1,000 fee.  Judd also managed to qualify for a write-in slot in Kentucky, Indiana, Florida and California, but only Idaho is actually putting his name on the ballot.  According to Ysursa, his hands are tied because Judd filled out the right form and paid the fee.  "We did some checking," he claimed, and "there was nothing legally to keep him off [the ballot]," as far as they could tell.  (Note to self: in-state residence, lack of criminal record, physical freedom, not legal requirements to run for office in Idaho.)

Democrats are a little suspicious as to why Ysursa, who is a Republican, has let Judd on the Democratic primary ballot, given that he previously disqualified a Democratic candidate for state senate on the grounds that the candidate, though apparently not a prisoner, was registered to vote in the wrong district.  (Note to self: registration requirements strictly enforced in Idaho.)  "We have this really good candidate who can't get on the ballot," said a state Democratic spokesman, "and this yahoo prisoner in Texas who coughs up a thousand bucks can."

Ysursa did not respond to that directly, instead sticking to the story that though his office "did some checking," they simply "got conned."  He also pointed out that Judd's presence on the ballot will not make any difference anyway, since Idaho's delegates are chosen in caucuses, not in the primary.

"The good thing," he said, "is the Democratic presidential primary has absolutely no legal significance."

Link: CBS News

UPDATE: "Bulletproof" Reposa Gets 90 Days for Lewd Gesture

Justice was swift -- and pretty harsh -- for Adam "Bulletproof" Reposa, who was cited for contempt on March 11 after gesturing inappropriately in response to an argument by opposing counsel.  Reposa allegedly rolled his eyes and made a repetitive one-handed lap-oriented gesture that is sometimes used to convey the idea that one's time is being wasted.  (According to one report, Reposa said the gesture was made "near his hip," which could be true depending on how you define "near.")

Reposa arrived at the contempt hearing April 15 to find that Judge Paul Davis had been assigned to hear the case.  Davis, who is retired (but was sitting by designation), now teaches a course on courtroom decorum for new judges, not especially good news for someone accused of violating it.  And after a hearing that (somehow) lasted four full hours, Davis found Reposa guilty of contempt.

He began his sentencing statement the next day by saying "It is my honor to uphold the integrity of the judicial process . . . ."  (Tip:  If the judge at your contempt hearing starts off like that, go ahead and have someone get your toothbrush and 'jammies if you didn't bring them, as you will be staying a while.)  Davis said that Reposa did not seem to accept responsibility for what he had done, pointing out that he had alternated between apologizing for his conduct and trying to justify it as a response to "ruthless prosecutors."

Ruthless prosecutor Randy Leavitt tried to get in evidence of Reposa's "history of misdemeanor convictions," but the judge would not allow that.  Unless they involved the same gesture, that seems like the right ruling.  He does seem to have allowed Leavitt to present evidence that Reposa has "regularly used vulgarities" when dealing with prosecutors, and that he had run a newspaper ad with the heading "DWI Stud" that apparently showed him having sex with a woman dressed like a police officer.  Odd and creepy as that is, it doesn't seem relevant to contempt of court, but there was no indication that Davis relied on the ad when sentencing the DWI Stud.

Reposa's defense lawyer argued unsuccessfully that his client should get just one day in jail, saying (apparently to his client) in closing argument that "No lawyer has the right to go into a courtroom and do what you did.  This is crazy."  Whatever the strategy was there, it didn't work; Davis sentenced Reposa to 90 days in jail.

Reposa called the sentence "fair" as he was being led away in handcuffs, wisely choosing not to repeat his earlier gesture.

Link: Austin American-Statesman

Woman Sues for Injuries Caused by Large Dancing Mystery Man

A woman in Vero Beach, Florida, has sued a Palm Beach nightspot claiming that she was injured by a 300-pound Canadian who fell on her there.  Kathryn Muth accuses Cucina Dell'Arte of negligence on the grounds that the restaurant is not authorized to operate as a nightclub, as she says it was doing on the night of the injury.  The unauthorized dance music allegedly encouraged the large man to hoist himself up onto the bar with intent to groove, only to then fall onto Muth, who suffered a torn rotator cuff.

According to Muth's attorney, Cucina was allowed to expand its outdoor area in 2004 only on condition that "no loud music, dance floor or D.J." were to be allowed.  It is not clear from the report whether any of those conditions were technically violated, but the attorney also seemed to suggest that the bar might have been defective to the extent it was intended or permitted to be used for dancing.  "This was not a bar that was made for [300-pound drunk Canadian] people to dance on," she said.

An attorney for Cucina's insurance company did not want to comment, which he made clear by commenting that "[t]he bottom line is that the only comment we have is 'no comment.'"  He had no further comment.

One of the mysteries surrounding the event is the identity of the falling tortfeasor, who has not been sued, probably because he cannot be found.  None of the witnesses seem to know him personally.  "They all just call him 'the large man,'" said Muth's attorney.  According to the report, police were somehow able to identify The Large Man as one "Remington Wayne Lawrence."  With a name like that, he is likely either a private eye or a serial killer, or both.  If in fact he is both, it may not be surprising that he has apparently vanished back into the Canadian mist from whence he came.

Link: Palm Beach Post (longer article from Apr. 14)
Link: Palm Beach Post (shorter version from Apr. 15)

Tiny Billionaire Will Be New Italian Prime Minister

Silvio Berlusconi won another term as Italy's prime minister on April 14, despite being shorter than his rivals.  Berlusconi, who is just five feet six inches tall, or a mere 1.71 meters in metric units, is routinely portrayed in political cartoons as small or wearing high heels.  This perplexes him.  "I don't understand why all the caricaturists portray me as a dwarf whereas the others are allowed a normal height," said the tiny billionaire at a rally in March.

Berlusconi has been prime minister twice before, though he has been on the sidelines since 2006 when he lost to Romano Prodi, who is taller.  But after Prodi's government failed, requiring new elections, Berlusconi started to compare himself to Prodi, at least in terms of height.  "I am taller than [Vladimir] Putin and [Nicolas] Sarkozy," he insisted.  "I'm tall like Prodi."

Berlusconi was referring to a newspaper article that had discussed the stature of various world leaders (thus wasting valuable space on this meaningless statistic rather than reporting on important issues like the candidates' bowling averages).  According to the article, Berlusconi is in fact taller than the Russian or French leader; Sarkozy is just 1.65 meters tall, Putin is 1.67, and Berlusconi 1.71.

But there is no doubt he is not "tall like Prodi," as he claimed.  Prodi made that clear in the 2006 campaign, after Berlusconi attacked him for being reluctant to debate him.  Berlusconi said that, if necessary, he would go on TV and debate with an empty chair.  "He should jump up on it," Prodi replied.  "It would give him more stature."

Link: AFP via Yahoo! News

Rooster Executed

At a bend in the road near Joe's Creek, birds sing and dogs bark.  But the rooster no longer crows.

So begins this tale of tragedy, as reported in the St. Petersburg Times.  According to the report, Gilman the Rooster died as he had lived, greeting the day as it broke over the Florida horizon.  Neighbors said that Gilman led a flock of chickens who had lived in and freely roamed the neighborhood for years, apparently owned by no one but loved by all.  Or all but one, anyway.

The flock would roost at night in a tree near James Dominic's house, and Gilman would leap onto the roof in the morning to signal the dawn.  "He was like the neighborhood alarm clock," said Deanna Schwartz, who lives next door to Dominic.  Another resident said, "You heard the rooster and it made you feel good."

But it apparently triggered a different feeling in Eric Nicastro -- one of murderous rage.  Later, residents said they remembered Nicastro had been asking who owned the chickens, and when he learned they were feral he began to plot against them.  Authorities said he started out with a BB gun, but soon upgraded to a .45-caliber handgun, renowned for its rooster-stopping power.  The large-caliber bullets made short work of Gilman, who was hit by at least one of four shots that Nicastro fired.  "I got him!" Schwartz heard the murderer say.  His victory complete, Nicastro callously threw his victim's body into the creek.

Neighbors who heard the shots called police.  They arrived in time to find the shooter walking down the street, still carrying his weapon.  They did not arrest him but have recommended prosecution for "improper exhibition of a firearm."  As of today there was no news as to whether Nicastro would be prosecuted.  As the Times reported semi-somberly, a pall has settled over the neighborhood.

As the sun set Saturday, bread crumbs remained on Dominic's roof.

Link: St. Petersburg Times