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To: Jennifer Alabiso <alabiso@unagi.cis.upenn.edu>
From: James Allan <allan@cs.umass.edu>
Subject: Re: TOPIC LIST 3
Date: Mon, 18 May 1998 14:45:19 -0400
TDTers,
Jennifer threatened to just charge ahead and do things today
regardless of whether she got feedback. So at the risk of being too
late....
I believe that Charles and Jaime have come up with lots of good
questions. I don't have strong feelings about whether details of the
topic should be included in the description, provided that the
annotators can actually figure them out: if they're easy to add, it's
probably worthwhile doing so (I mention one below); if they're
difficult, it may not be worthwhile. So whether starting and ending
dates (for example) are included at this point is something I'm happy
to leave entirely to Jennifer's feelings in the matter.
The issue of whether very long-term events (e.g., James Earl Ray's
death) should be handled differently is an important one, though,
since there are several in there. The Rule of Intepretation says (I
think; I've lost my copy) that appeals are part of the topic, so
in some sense, anything related to James Earl Ray is on topic. Is
that really what we want?
Some other comments follow.
-- james
> 43. Dr. Spock Dies
>
> Seminal Event:
> WHAT: Dr. Benjamin Spock, baby expert, died of natural causes
> WHERE: La Jolla, CA
> WHEN: 3/16/98
>
> RELATED ARTICLE SUMMARY: Again, the related article discusses the
> seminal event. Dr. Spock was considered by many to be a
> child care guru.
>
> RELATED RULE OF INTERPRETATION # _ : This doesn't fall under a rule
> as yet, but the topic would include any stories about his
> illness, his legacy, the publication of the seventh edition of his
> book "Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care" (which will be
> commemorative publications this summer) and any obituary-type
> stories.
>
> Article: NY19980316.0359
It troubles me that the publication of the book is on topic of his
death. Though if that issue is being released entirely because of his
death, or its issuing is affected by his death, I guess it makes sense.
> 48. Jonesboro shooting
>
> Seminal Event:
> WHAT: A 11 year old and a 13 year old shot 3 classmates and a teacher
> WHERE: Jonesboro, AR at the school
> WHEN: 3/24/98
>
> RELATED ARTICLE SUMMARY: This is the seminal event. The two boys
> pulled a fire alarm and as students were leaving the school
> they fired guns into the crowd. The boys were heavily armed with guns
> they had stolen from the older one's grandfather. They were
> arrested.
>
> RELATED RULE OF INTERPRETATION #3: The shooting at the school, the
> arrest of the boys, the investigation, and the trial and
> sentencing will all be topic relevant. So will discussions about
> trying these boys as minors or not, the decision about whether or not
> to try for the death penalty and the struggle around the fact that
> the alleged murderers are so young.
>
> Article: ABC19980324.1830.0103
That one is a case where I think it would be simple and worthwhile
including the names of the accused kids.
> 49. Boehner/McDermott suit
>
> Seminal Event:
> WHAT: Rep. John A. Boehner filed suit against Rep. Jim McDermott
> WHERE: Washington, D.C.
> WHEN: 3/9/98
>
> RELATED ARTICLE SUMMARY: Boehner accuses McDermott of publicly
> disclosing an intercepted conference call between Boehner
> and Speaker Newt Gingrich and other Republican party leaders. The
> conversation was accidentally recorded by a Florida couple.
>
> RELATED RULE OF INTERPRETATION #3: This rule allows that at least
> stories about the taped conversation, the suit, lawyers, the
> Florida couple who made the tape, and trial outcomes are topic relevant.
>
> Article: NY19980309.0377
This falls into the long-term event problem, to some extent. I agree
that the initial release of the intercepted phone call is the seminal
event rather than the filing of a suit. As I recall, the suit was
filed at the very last minute because other channels were not working
and the deadline for filing suit was about to pass.
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Last updated Wed Sep 9 09:40:49 1998