Archive for May, 2008
Thursday, May 29th, 2008
If someone finally figured out how to dig a hole to China, or to London in this case, and you could be seen through a giant underground telescope on the other side, what would you do for your trans-Atlantic audience? Would you have a message to write on a big posterboard? A flag to wave? Would you use sign language? Blow a kiss? Think fast. You only have until June 15 to go to Paul St. George’s Telectroscope on the Fulton Ferry Landing by the Brooklyn Bridge or to the one on the other side by London’s Tower Bridge on the Thames.
I saw an old man in a Sherlock Holmes hat (I assume he was in London) do a little dance in front of the Telectroscope, kicking his legs out and waving his arms. This was on the news, so maybe that’s why he was hamming it up. But it also struck me that it was as if he thought this was a fleeting opportunity to test technology’s latest limits, in which he needed to be as “big” as possible to be understood. Like when people talked way too loud on their newfangled cordless phones and even louder into their poor cell phones. Or a more apt comparison– when film was first invented and silent movie actors had only their bodies to convey plot, emotion, character. The same must be used for our audience of strangers on the other side of the ocean, who can’t hear us but can see us surprisingly clearly.
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Tags: Telectroscope
Posted in All The World, Art, Science & Technology | 1 Comment »
Thursday, May 29th, 2008
Instead of having you listen to me babble today, I am going to let you inside my head in a different way. For the past two days, I have been playing this song over and over. I find tremendous comfort in the words. Somehow it releases me, gives me perspective and helps me get out of my own way. Granted, it’s a bit “deep thoughts,” but hey, I never pretended to be above the cheese factor.
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Tags: Add new tag, wear suncreen mary schmich baz luhrmann lee perry quind
Posted in Art, Music, Therapy Thursdays, Writing | 3 Comments »
Thursday, May 29th, 2008
Check out this call from our very own Daniel May’s amazing, amazing mother. Her hilarious bio:
Elaine Tyler May grew up in Los Angeles and now teaches at the University of Minnesota. She was twelve years old in 1960 when the Pill was approved by the FDA. Although not yet old enough for the event to have any personal significance for her, she was already interested in the subject because her father was one of the clinical researchers who helped develop the Pill, and her mother was a founder of free birth control clinics in Los Angeles. In spite of her later efforts at responsible use of contraception, she is the mother of three offspring.
And the query:
Dear Friends (and friends of friends…),
The Pill is often considered one of the most important innovations of the twentieth century. As I investigate this claim for a new book—set for release on the 50th anniversary of the Pill’s FDA approval (Basic Books, 2010)—I’m looking to include the voices and stories of real people. I hope yours will be one of them. (more…)
Posted in General, Generation Overwhelmed | Comments Off
Wednesday, May 28th, 2008
Today, I read on Resist Racism about schools in Glasgow, Scotland, that are introducing anti-racism curriculum in nursery schools, for children as young as three years old. From the Evening Times article:
Research shows racist attitudes can be picked up by children as young as two. A similar programme in 170 city primary schools in 2005 led a slight drop in the number of racism incidents.
I’m delighted by this tidbit, particularly because of the disturbing news out of Iowa last week, where 297 illegal immigrants were sentenced to at least five months’ jail time, followed by deportation, for getting jobs at a meatpacking plant with false documents. This was the largest raid by the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on a single workplace in U.S. history.
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Posted in Beauty in a Wicked World, Education, In The News, Race | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, May 27th, 2008
I’ve been thinking quite a bit–as usual–about the pace of our lives and the ways in which we have to choose clarity. My column over at The American Prospect Online this week is on the topic–specifically looking at the problematic laptop use in classrooms as a window into the ways in which we all play victim to technology’s incessant invasion into our lives. Hint: It’s not the technology. It’s you.
But I’ve also had a real revelation because I spent the entire week lamping in the sun and shade of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. No email. No laptop. No cell phone. No communication other than the direct–facing another human being in the (sometimes sun burned) flesh. (more…)
Posted in General, Generation Overwhelmed | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, May 27th, 2008
We’re coming off another wartime Memorial Day Weekend, and today, President Bush and Senator McCain are defending their opposition to new G.I. Bill legislation that passed in the Senate last week. The bi-partisan bill promises to restore veterans’ educational benefits to levels found in the original G.I. Bill, which famously opened college doors to sons of farmers and factory-workers. According to the U.S. Department of State, by 1956, about the time that benefits expired for World War II vets, America had gained 450,000 trained engineers, 240,000 accountants, 238,000 teachers, 91,000 scientists, 67,000 doctors, 22,000 dentists, and more than a million other college-educated individuals thanks to the original G.I. Bill.
Few would disagree that the G.I. Bill had a tremendous impact, and with all of its feel-good effects (besides sending vets to school, Uncle Sam also backed the low-interest mortgages that created the conditions for contemporary suburbia), it’s easy to forget that it was never intended to simply say “thank you” to our servicemen.
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Posted in General | 2 Comments »
Monday, May 26th, 2008
Kimberlee Auerbach
- “What’s with Guys and Sexting? Dating and Dirty Texts!” at Daily Cents
Courtney Martin
Posted in Brag Round-Up, General | Comments Off
Friday, May 23rd, 2008
I once (gingerly) elbowed an elderly woman out of my way. Unabashed brute you might call me, it’s true. Sometimes I love the subway-at either the tipping hour of 4am or lazy noon. But never, never at rush hour. When I’m fighting for my life not to get pushed by the crowd over the edge into an oncoming train, I become fierce. Despite the occasional desperation, public transport is a god-send. For one, the sheer efficiency should win awards. I often want to clap my hands when the subway or bus doors open, throngs move out and then throngs move in–a successful transfer of goods. An accomplishment. People are getting where they need to go with professional sling-shot accuracy. So you might be crushed against someone’s smelly body, but who cares, we’re in this together. It’s cool. It’s community. Is private space really better? (more…)
Posted in General, Orienting | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, May 21st, 2008
How did I miss this? On May 3, Austin hosted the 2008 International Bus Roadeo. It’s exactly what you’d imagine — bus operators competing under normal and extreme driving conditions. (Tight turns, quick and smooth stops, visual inspections of the bus for anything amiss, obstacle courses…) Jesse Dela Cruz took home the title of championship transit operator of North America for his third year.
Next year, I have to see this in person. I’ve always been struck by how friendly, polite, and interesting most bus drivers are, especially for folks who spend their days maneuvering through traffic. I love that there’s an entertaining and (I’d imagine) cathartic outlet for bus operators to flex their driving muscles. Plus, I’m hoping that Garth Brooks will adapt his song for the bus operators’ roadeo… come on, Garth, you know you want to…
(via Angry Asian Man) | photo: some rights reserved, by Flickr user John Martinez Pavliga.
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Beauty in a Wicked World is a weekly column by Jennifer Gandin Le. It appears on Wednesdays.
Posted in Beauty in a Wicked World, In The News | Comments Off
Monday, May 19th, 2008
For the past two months, I’ve been in and out of New York on trips to get the word out about CHEER!. There have been some great moments—a packed reading at Duke University where people asked very interesting questions, a group of my favorite high school teachers showing up to support me on at a local bookstore reading, random people asking me to sign a dog-eared copy of the book. But promoting a book is also—how do I put it?—an extremely humbling experience. Let me give you a few examples.
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Posted in Writing | 5 Comments »
Sunday, May 18th, 2008
Sometimes relationships end horribly.
And sometimes no matter how horrific the ending, all you manage to remember are the good times. The post-coital private jokes, how he held your hand on a crowded city street or how you two held whole conversations without even saying a word.
It’s almost enough to make you forget that the relationship ended via text message and you may never see your Five Heartbeats soundtrack again.
This pretty much sums up how I feel about Sex and the City. I thought the series finale sold women everywhere out, opting for the fairytale ending of Mr. Big finally committing to Carrie. I just didn’t buy it. We were so over, we needed a new word for over.
Now five years after we parted ways, Sex and the City is back. This time in movie form. I have had enough time to heal. All is forgiven. I’ve already bought tickets for opening night.
In memory of the best of times, I present to you my top five episodes of “Sex and the City.”
5. “La Doleur Exquise!” Season Two, Episode Twelve
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Posted in Gender, Health, Movies, Politics, Pop Culture, Relationships | 13 Comments »
Friday, May 16th, 2008
Without fail, ants do it for me. Belly-down on the grass, my eyes scanning the movement of an entire colony– this sets me right. I think if enough people gave it a chance, it would set them right too. Such simple medicine should be dolled out as prescription. But who has the time for such leisure? Well, I don’t seem to these days, which is why I am reading about nature-deficit disorder. That particular phrase irks me; this type of modern-day “diagnosis” leeches onto a person’s identity and prevents him from eventually parting with it. But, we are (most of us) disconnected from the natural world, aren’t we?
I know this whole topic is purple and fluffy and boring to some. I say so because I’ve butted heads about it in New York. Few of my peers in this city discuss or even think about the stuff our world is made of and I suspect they think me soft for loving the trees. I can see in people’s eyes when they shelve “nature” talk into the Hallmark card section of their brain. Labeled: sentimental and not important enough. Why is this?
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Posted in Education, Environment, Orienting | 4 Comments »
Thursday, May 15th, 2008
The California Supreme Court just overturned a ban on gay marriage, paving the way for California to become the second state to legalize same sex marriage.
My first reaction–great news! It’s always wonderful to see civil rights being extended to more and more Americans.
My second reaction–I hope that this doesn’t prompt hysterical backlash. You know, the same ol’ calls for Constitutional bans and pulpit-promises of damnation. Unfortunately, this being a political year and all, we’ll probably be subjected to more “debate” on the subject.
Luckily, these “debates” can’t last forever. As I wrote in a previous column,we have a whole generation of kidz today who are growing up in a world where it’s ok to be gay.**
But who knew that many teachers and principals are leading the way?
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Posted in General, Relationships | Comments Off
Thursday, May 15th, 2008
Wrestled out of sleep, I dug my fingernails into the edges of my mattress so that I wouldn’t fly away and tried to distinguish reality from dreams of apocalypse. This was April 18th in St. Louis. When I opened my eyes, the room stopped shaking and my mom’s house looked the same as I remembered. I went back to sleep, reminding myself that my family may be justified in pointing out my overly active imagination and flirtatious relationship with drama. Hours later, I heard about the earthquake. It registered at 5.2 and, thankfully, didn’t cause damage or injuries. My typically light-sleeping BFF was visiting, staying in the room next to me, and didn’t even notice it. I found this non-event terrifying for 30 seconds, so I can’t begin to imagine an earthquake registering a 7.9 magnitude.
Amid news of vast devastation and incomprehensibly high death tolls in China’s Sichuan Province, there are stories of rescued children– and even a woman who was eight months pregnant– who survived days of being buried alive. Are they conscious through these hours? Can they hear help nearby? What thoughts course through the mind of a child, deprived of everything she knows and trusts?
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Posted in All The World, In The News | Comments Off
Thursday, May 15th, 2008
____
Kimmi
Therapy Thursdays
Some comments and amendments…
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Posted in Movies, Random, Relationships, Therapy Thursdays | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, May 14th, 2008
I have important news for all of you computer users out there. Your current computer is going to die. Maybe sooner than later; who knows? But your data does not have to disappear with it.
This seems obvious, but when my G4 laptop conked out two weeks ago, it was a big surprise to me. I realized that most news stories or ads about backing up your computer data make it sound like, “You should back up just in case your hard drive dies.” What they should say is, “Back up your data because your computer will die.” Americans may like to deny death in all its forms, but, like pretending that each of us will live forever, we can lose a ton of vital information by refusing to believe that our computers are mortal.
Data back-up is like safe sex (with much less dangerous consequences) — you can’t afford NOT to do it. And I’m not just talking about your Word and Excel files. If you’re like me, there’s important data lurking in all corners of your computer. Do any of these places sound familiar?
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Posted in Science & Technology, Writing | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, May 13th, 2008
Some of my favorite journalists have been debating the legacy of Hillary Clinton’s run as of late, and it’s got me thinking a lot about women in leadership. It started with Susan Faludi’s New York Times op-ed—“The Fight Stuff”—where she argue that, regardless of what’s happened with Clinton’s candidacy (and it’s not looking good), has changed the world forever. She ends:
Whether Senator Clinton’s pugilism has elevated the current race for the nomination is debatable. But the strategy has certainly remade the political world for future female politicians, who may now cast off the assumption that when the going gets tough, the tough girl will resort to unilateral rectitude. When a woman does ascend through the glass ceiling into the White House, it will be, in part, because of the race of 2008, when Hillary Clinton broke through the glass floor and got down with the boys.
I agree. Clinton has essentially unknotted gender and masculinity in an unprecedented way and I can’t wait to see who comes up under her.
Barbara Ehrenreich wrote an answer to Faludi, of sorts, in The Nation.
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Posted in General, Generation Overwhelmed | 1 Comment »
Friday, May 9th, 2008
Jason Boog over at the publishing spot (a really great resource for both aspiring and established writers) made this amazingly heartwarming video about Kate and me. It captures the pleasures of having a writing partner, as Kate and I basically wrote our books together last year. Check out Jason’s brilliant film editing! He interviewed us last week at the Crucial Minutiae cocktail gathering in the East Village.
Posted in Career/Life | 2 Comments »
Friday, May 9th, 2008
Sounds creepy, right? Don’t be scared. This is no genetic engineering feat, no cloning craziness, no attempt to brand and sell personalities. It is simply a catalog. A friend of mine forwarded the website www.wefeelfine.org. I was skeptical at first. Am I being made fun of for being an emotive person? But, I allowed the website to draw me right on in–not an easy task for someone generally weary of time-sucking technologies. Within seconds, I was trying to sort out what exactly women between the ages of 20-29 in the Czech Republic have felt on cloudy days. Yes, you can be that specific; though, you may not get a lot of hits being so precise. So, noticing that I felt blue after a morning conundrum, I looked up who in New York has felt sad….You mean, I’m not alone?! Two young savvy computer scientists conceived of this web concept. Every few hours, it scours blogs; anything with the phrase “I feel” is snatched and logged, along with the sex and age of that person, location, weather at the time, and day. You can look at the feelings organized in graphs, a running tab, or small dots flying all over the screen blinking Pick me, pick me. (more…)
Posted in Environment, Orienting, Pop Culture, Writing | 2 Comments »
