Okay, this is for Sara to see if her email subscription is working...
Well, Sara, is it?!?!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Houston, are you there?
McCain like JFK? Waaaa???
Ah, now I get how in the hell the headline Lieberman likens McCain to JFK came into being! Lieberman says McCain is most like the Dems of JFK's time because he likes wars to be started in countries where there's no reason for us to be there, we can't win, and we funnel so much money into it America goes down the crapper: "The Democratic candidates have spent most of their time attacking the war in Iraq… they've honestly not done anything substantial to advance our cause in Afghanistan or against Al Qaeda."
See, and I thought the legacy of JFK we should be focusing on is not his bilateral vision of the world into US (get it, both a pronoun and initials for the United States) and Commies, but rather his ability to inspire political participation, a sense of community, a support of civil rights, and funding for social services. I'm sure glad that Lieberman set me straight!
Hey, maybe instead of blaming Nader for losing 2000 to Bush, we should take a harder look at the fact that Gore put Lieberman on the ticket? "I see your truuuuuueeee colors, shining through!"
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Jesus H. Christ and a Green Turnip, Dagnabit!
You gotta be kidding me:
(CNN) — A sizable number of Hillary Clinton supporters may break ranks to back John McCain in November should Barack Obama capture the Democratic nomination, a new Gallup poll suggests.
According to the just-released poll, 28 percent of Clinton's supporters would back McCain should the New York senator lose her quest for the Democratic nomination. That compares to the 19 percent of Obama supporters who say they will favor McCain should Clinton be the party's nominee.
"[The results] suggest that some Clinton supporters are so strongly opposed to Obama (or so loyal to Clinton) that they would go so far as to vote the "other" party's candidate next November if Obama is the Democratic nominee," Frank Newport of Gallup said of the survey's findings.
Newport also noted that the poll's results are likely the result of the heated battle for the nomination, and the number of the party's defectors to McCain is likely to decrease after Democrats choose a nominee and the focus shifts to defeating the Arizona senator.
The poll was conducted March 7-22 and carries a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
Or maybe they are just so committed to a war-oriented, white/wealthy dominated version of the United States that they'll take whoever they can get it from? Hillary is the Dem of choice for that---please don't yell at me Hillary supporters--I'm not saying she necessarily stands for that (voting record aside), just that she appeals to some of those people. Regardless, Hillary Clinton would never support Dems loyal to her voting for McCain. I've also heard a lot of stories about how if Obama doesn't get the nomination a lot of the first-time or never-have voters he has inspired to participate just won't show up to vote in the general election, which also really sucks... but with our past 25 years of representation and the slowing of civil rights, you can kinda see why. I'm sure a lot of people would have not voted in the 1960 election had JFK failed to get the nomination... I personally still feel like people should come to their polling place and abstain so it's on the record that they don' t like any of the choices, but then again, I'm given leave off of my salaried job to go vote, so what's to lose? Sigh.
I guess the point of all this is: Please, people, think about things before you reactively vote! McCain is not simply a not-Obama (and vice versa). Same for Hillary. There's a lot at stake here that goes beyond loyalty to a candidate. Like loyalty to what Amhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.giferica should and can be...UPDATE: I was wrong, looks like the Clintons are all about McCain. Gah!!! What the hell happened to my people? My heart is seriously tormented right now. I wish Bill would just shut up already before both of their legacies are shot...
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Response to CNN.com commentators (or any hater) re: Harry Potter
So, there's this article on CNN.com about Harry Potter being taught in academia and a bunch of commentator's harangued the series, mostly because it wasn't Tolkein and/or too mainstream and/or children's literature. I posted the below comment on the website, but want to do so here as well to declare my undying love for J.K. Rowling. And yes, I am still working on that Harry Potter exhibition, so I am biased. But, I also have academic interpretation on my side...
I resisted reading Harry Potter for many years because 1) I was loyal to Tolkein, Lewis, L'Engle, etc. and 2) anything that popular must be suspect. Now, years later, I am a devoted fan of Harry Potter because of its complex integration of multiple cultures/worldviews and its insistence on a world based on social justice. The books explore contemporary culture by interweaving a magical world (populated with common creatures versus unfamiliar and unwieldy new ones (does that really make her a hack?)) with our own. This allows the narrative to be exciting to readers, yet familiar enough that children at a formative age will be able to make the connection between the persecution of centaurs and with other indigenous peoples or the enslavement of the house elves with that of colonized peoples. The books also teach children to question their government, their newspapers, and, sometimes, their mentors. They explore themes of death, the abuse of science and power, and the existential importance of choice.
Please, don't bash them because they are children's literature or popular or not Tolkein or Lewis as if that's a good enough reason to dislike any other fantasy--the LOTR (though I love them) are completely racist/colonialist and Narnia is the same but with some uber-Christian propaganda and anti-Feminism mixed in. There is clearly something that speaks to readers and if they walk away with Rowling's message of self-acceptance, respect for all creatures, questioning authority, and importance of choice then so be it. I'll take a couple of dangling modifiers and the overuse of some adverbs if it means a generation of children whose heroes and heroines are committed to a word of equity.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Ironic, apropos, however you want to term it...
... of course the speech that finally got me on the Obama train is the one that's going to derail it.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Recipe for Birthday Fun
1 evening of cheesy mystery dinner theater + 1 table of obnoxious drunk people who I'm sure I wouldn't have liked in high school nor do I like now + Tim the dinner actor in a dress saying things like, "Ah, this is part of the dumbing down of America" to our table before he goes out to do his monologue for the evening + booze + hotel evacuation for false fire alarm + more booze + cupcakes + balloons + board games + presents including a Star Wars cookbook and cat butt magnents + more balloons + my favorite people in the world
= AN AWESOME 27th BIRTHDAY!!!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Silence is Golden
While I've been noticeably absent the past couple of weeks after rejuvenating this little forum, all has not been quiet on the eastern front. I've been very busy at work finalizing the website and various other odds and ends--6 weeks until the show opens! More importantly, I've been busy researching and writing a traveling version of the Harry Potter show I curated last summer. It's a huge amount of work for our compressed timeline--we want to finish by the 1st week of June as Ms. Rowling herself might be visiting :) --but I'm not complaining. It's nice to turn that part of my brain on again after nearly three years out of school. The last show was researched in a day and written in another, so it wasn't exactly a well-thought-out piece with themes and messages and all that fancy schmancy smart stuff. Now I really get a chance to do an actual analysis of Harry Potter and the history of magic within science. I also get a chance to move forward in my career and use this as a jumping point into a Ph.D. program... or confirm that I'm happy just where I am and don't want the hassle of thinking and writing and reading ALL THE TIME.
Who am I kidding? We all know I'll be back at school bitchin' and moanin' in no time.
Monday, March 03, 2008
And once again...
...sexism and its far-reaching cultural impact is completely ignored as an influence as to why women "value" different things than men ('cause it's what we're taught we're supposed to value and, ugh, accept). Or why we aren't as good with math ('cause girls are told that math and science isn't for us so why bother and teachers tow that line). Or why we get emotional in public and men don't ('cause men are taught they aren't supposed to show feelings and since they control the world, them's the rules). Or why women have different brain skills than men ('cause we evolved differently, were taught differently, have different expectations, responsibilities, and communities... not unequal, mind you, but DIFFERENT).
Nope, it's just 'cause we're inferior.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Poked, Prodded... And It Feels So Good
My therapist (I know I know so cliche) recommended I go to acupuncture to help my ongoing anxiety and sleep problems. So I did. And man is it weird... and awesome. Seriously, I'm not sure if the needles sticking out of my forehead actually helped or if just taking 45 minutes to myself was what did it, but I feel good. Sure it felt a little weird when she poked me, but no worse than tattoos. And the money kinda sucks (my insurance covers, but I have to file a claim)... but I was relaxed and rested... even this morning!
So to all you cynics out there, trust me, and go get poked!
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