Take heart, Michigan: things are looking up. You're adding jobs. Your state revenue is growing. The worst might be behind you -- unless you're living in a place like Muskegon Heights, where the worst is still unfolding. This week the newly appointed emergency manager of the Muskegon Heights schools announced that dramatic changes were on the way. "[W]e're off to the healing process," he said on Monday. On Tuesday, he sent layoff notices to every state employee in the district, then announced that the school board was now merely advisory.
Letterpress Daily
A letterpress "N," in this case 10-point Kabel.
More than 200,000 Michiganders have signed a petition to overturn the emergency manager law that gives unilateral authority for towns and school districts to single unelected overseers. The Board of State Canvassers threw those petitions out last month on a party-line vote, with Republicans saying they couldn't be sure the type on one part of the petition was big enough.
Days later, says Herbert Sanders, attorney for the petition side, someone inside the Secretary of State's office told him that the board's secretary had sought advice from a Michigan State University graphics professor about whether the type was big enough. That professor has since signed an affidavit (included in this pdf) saying he told the state the font looked like the required 14 points:
Visually, the font size on the petition was the same font size that I had utilized which was 14 point bold Calibri.
That information never made it into the secretary's report to the Board of State Canvassers. Preparing an appeal that was heard today, attorney Sanders attempted to depose the professor this week. The Secretary of State's office asked the court to quash the testimony. The state said it was too late to hear from the professor whose opinion they'd sought, and the court agreed.
How did this wreck happen? If you read the email exchange (same pdf above) between the state official and the professor, it almost sounds like the state official was a little frustrated with the technicalities of fonts.
"Tomorrow morning I will have to explain why 14 point Calibri is not really 14 point size," the official wrote on the eve of the Board of State Canvassers vote. He continued, "Again, why would Calibri 14 be put into software as 14 point when clearly it is not?"
Yesterday I talked to that professor, Chris Corneal, and he told me the way the state is trying to measure the type is wrong.
The specs are based on the old letterpress system, where each letter existed on a single block of wood or metal -- great big capital "N's" and low-hanging "g's" lived on blocks of the same size, according to their fonts. To say something is 14-point type, as the law requires, would have meant measuring the entire block, not just the inkform that appears on the page. But most printing is done digitally now, so you have to consider the range of letters in a sample AND the spacing around the letters. You can't consider just the ink of a single capital "N" as the petition challengers did and pronounce it standard or not. "The standard is not a standard," Professor Corneal said. "We almost need to start over with the requirements in the law."
Beyond comparing a sample to the known font, he said, the only way to know for sure is to ask the printer who created the documents. Because of the change in technology, if the court won't accept as definitive the sworn testimony of the print shop hired by the petitioners, as the state didn't, then the petition side may find proving its case almost impossible -- regardless of the politics of Michigan's elected judges.
After the hearing today, activist and publisher Bruce Fealk of the Rochester Citizen asked Herbert Sanders whether Michigan citizens should peaceably take to the streets if the courts reject their petitions against the emergency manager law. Sanders told him:
"There comes a time when you become frustrated with the denial of your rights, that the extraordinary measures that are being taken to deny your rights require an extraordinary response. So I think it's up to the people what that response will be."
The court is expected to rule sometime in the next seven days.
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As far as I'm concerned I think the people should storm the capital building and take there state back the way we took our country back in 1776. We can't let these treasonous righty's continue to take our freedom and rights away from us without proper consequences. The people of of Michigan need to stand up for themselves and show them that progressive thinking people are not just push overs and we will get our freedom and rights by any means necessary.
All power flows from the barrel of a gun. No need to storm the capital; just let the local police departments of each of these co-opted cities take their appointed czar into "protective custody," indefinitely.
What local police? The governor is closing many police stations around the state...LMAO!
The professor originally identified the font as Myriad Pro. Someone later suggested it was Calibri, and the professor agreed. It sounds like to me that the Professor uses either an Apple or a PC with a Word version prior to 2007 because Calibri is the default font and should have been one of the first fonts he tried.
@RobDon, special merit for reading the pdf!
Thanks...
It is a weak challenge to say your petitions are disqualified because the font you used is confusing. Sort of like winning the ball game where the opponent outscores you but they had on the wrong socks.
By the way, I miss more of your blog postings and Will's as well. I'm sure your other duties take priority. Just wanted you to know...
Thanks. My goal is to keep doing at least two a day. Three is great. One is more usual.
I imagine in Michigan today that someone decided that the part of the constitution and amendments about the right to have your vote count in a representative government, was of the wrong font size. Imagine the anarchy which would occur if the people are again allowed to participate in their government.
I assume you mean the US Constitution? If so where in the US Constitution is there a right to form a city and vote for city or county officials? There is no such provisions. Generally cities/counties are created by each state and in general what each state creates it can take away. These are not "Greek" city states. Whether the State of Michigan has acted appropriately is a different question. But to suggest this is some how a constitutional issue or somehow the residents of the cities have some right to vote is not correct.
Maybe we should kick Michigan out of the United States. It's bad enough our federal government has supported dictatorships, but to have one of our own states in a dictatorship is just too much. IMHO to ignore the law of the land and the law of the states to institute a undemocratic government is treason.
Jut give the upper peninsula to Canada and you get rid of 2/3 of the wingnuts.
Sounds like the Governor should go to jail along with his co-conspirators. This reeks of treason to me.We the people are the government not, them the elected servants!
When President Obama is re-elected these Draconian actions and illegal misuse of State Law will be some of the first things to be undone ! This is why the Right-Wingers are so very desperately pushing their Social Engineering agendas on us all for now.
I just don't know how they're getting away with this in the year 2012. It looks from the outside to be a hostile take-over. Maybe if the officials that did work there came up with a plan to take back their city and collect revenue from the wealthy in their State they could have something to present to the Supreme Court when they defend themselves from this hostile take-over. They could explain thoroughly what caused the demise of their city and what their plans are to rescue their city despite what plans the people have who have taken over the city and plan to sell it to the highest or lowest bidder.
Generally cities are created by state statute or the state Constitution. Cities only have such powers as are granted by the state statute or constitution. Cities have no recognition under the federal constitution. If city managers fail to manage the fiscal matters of the city, in most states the governor can appoint a receiver. This is no unusual. At least based on some of the reports I have heard- e.g. city of Detroit paying over $50,000 for a $20,000 car and the former mayor indicted for fraud, would suggest that something needed to be done. Whether imposing a manager was the correct issue, citizens of Michigan can hold the governor etc accountable at the next election.
We are holding the Governor responsible. We are attempting to recall him. Cities in Michigan elect their Mayor and the councils. Receivers in other states do not have the authority to nullify contracts, sell off city properties, and take away the power of the duly elected council which is the balance to the Mayors, but they do here.
They are getting away with it and calling it smaller goverment because it is corporate take over. Who do you think pays for their elections? It is the big corporations who are now getting cutbacks from these politicians whom they bought into office, and who are now paying them those favors back...backscratching, plain and simple. Corporations own media...that is why many news stations are not reporting a lot of this or waterdowned versions...keep the people ignorant. Now, the corporations are taking over towns, and citizens rights. Heck, in Muskegon Heights, an EFM is now turning that public school into a charter school. Private companies will bid to make money on the kids backs, while that public school district will exist merely to pay off the debt it owes on whose back? The middle class tax payers who have no voice or choice in where to send their kids unless they move. Is that fair? No..it is what we get for electing business men to run our state. We need a middle class person to run for offices in the senate and house, even governorship...that is the only way we take back our state, by putting someone in there who knows what it is to be middle class and who has our backs in regards to retaining our rights to free speech, choice, and our vote.
I have a point ruler they can borrow. Its easy to measure the point size without running around to 'experts'. BTW, 14 pts is approximately 3/16". Slightly less, so if the type measures at 3/16, its good.
That all depends on the font used (times new roman, arial etc) which is not specified, cuz back in the day there was only one kind, which was called the manual typewriter...
Randa is correct how this relates to typewriters. But definitely more explanation is needed on the history of typesetting.
If K n Kansas2 were to use those measurements on their pica ruler, they would miss the mid-term question for beginning Design students in the beginning Type & Layout Class at SLCC.
14. Q: Does type point size refer to the size of the printed letter OR the size of the block depth?
A: Type point size refers to the size of the block depth. Block depth refers to the measurement of the block (wood or metal) of hand-set type used in traditional offset or letterpress printing. Typeface size cannot be measured by the printed letter using a pica/point ruler.
FYI: Font should truly be called typeface, but that's a losing battle. You know what I mean... use a word incorrectly long enough and it becomes correct.
The f*cking Font Party (excuse my French).
Vote Font Party, End Democracy.
Is that french? I thought it was plain English for "fonting fed up!"
There are plenty of people in Michigan, including me, who are fed up with the Republicans in power of our state. We tried to recall the governor last summer and failed to get enough signatures, mostly due to lack of volunteers. We are currently trying again and this time is even easier to find a petition to sign. Now you can get petitions mailed to your house so you can sign and get as many signatures from friends and family as possible. This will hopefully help get petitions into the hands of everyone who wants one. Please visit www.michiganrising.org to volunteer or contribute donations if outside the state.
I was one of those volunteers last year for both the recall of Snyder AND EFM. I am totally discouraged to collect this year and way to busy. I would like to know where to sign in my community or how to have petitions sent to my home. I have 3 registered voters who want him out of office, one, my husband is changing parties from Republican to Democrat. He is fed up with the current brand of Republican.
Michigan is not creating jobs, that is more Snyder-foolery. Here is the truth, and he was flat out told this, but as usual, he chooses to lie instead. http://www.senatedems.com/news/article/snyder-policies-cause-michigan-residents-to-lose-hope
The fact is, after his economic field trip to Germany and Italy this past March, Snyder was only able to return with a commitment of 450 jobs from a German company. 450 jobs does not a recovery make!
According to the above article, the economists that presented these findings told Snyder that unemployment statistics are not down because we are creating jobs, but because people have lost hope. That CANNOT happen. Please help us recall this crooked governor and stand up to the extremists that are taking over our state. Michiganrising.org or on facebook you can search Michigan rising + your county. We still have hope, we are still fighting, and we are convinced that we will win this battle yet.
So whats next?? Disavowing the constitution because its not the right font size!! Really?? What is going on in MY country!!! Elected officials work for us not the other way around!!! Where is DOJ???
The emergency manager is just a government insider practicing vulture capitalism. Sell off all the assets of any value, take your cut and bail leaving the city to fail completely. Meanwhile, those involved in the process make out like literal bandits.
Aha "We the people" was in oversized font!
...sounds like the state official was a little frustrated with the technicalities of
fontsdemocracy.Come out to Eastern Market in Detroit this Sunday. We need volunteers and people to sign petitions to recall Governor Snyder.
Democracy is being blatantly stripped from the citizens of Michigan! PA-4 has been the worst..so far..but there is more to come. We need to stop this before our voices are muted! Please help us fight this battle. www.michiganrising.org
you've got to be kidding me, really? I'm speechless. and shaking my head. wow.
All good designers should know how type is measured. Period. Not that it makes sense but type size is based on the historical block of type. Type point size cannot be measured with a ruler. Even those rulers with picas and various point sizes.
The problem is communication. Whomever designed these pieces should have asked the client for a sample of what they "thought" was a 14 point typeface. The designer could then have used the sample typeface or found another and used the closest point size in "appearance" to the sample. The designer's job is to educate the client.
The professor (and I am one as well) is correct in his explanation of how typeface sizes are measured. HOWEVER, it was really a low blow to suggest the printer was ultimately the one to make the decision. The printer is producing work created by the designer. The printer did not choose the typeface or size. They printed the job. Period.
This passing the buck to the end vendor has been and will probably always happen. For my students I tell them NOT to pass the buck. If they've done something wrong, own up to it. Blaming it on the printer is a truly scummy (get the pun?) way to say "It wasn't my fault." For the professor to promote this type of work ethic gives a black eye to all the rest of us trying to teach students (who become workers) how to become sought after employees.