Suggested by Shaker Kevin: Which TV show that got cancelled do you think deserves a second chance?
Mine would be the same answer to a related QotD we did in April about bringing back a television series for one more season: Freaks and Geeks.
As reported in a campaign press release earlier today:
* Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
* Senator David Boren, former Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
* Secretary of State Warren Christopher
* Greg Craig, former director of the State Department Office of Policy Planning
* Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig
* Representative Lee Hamilton, former Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee
* Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder
* Dr. Tony Lake, former National Security Advisor
* Senator Sam Nunn, former Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
* Secretary of Defense William Perry
* Dr. Susan Rice, former Assistant Secretary of State
* Representative Tim Roemer, 9/11 Commissioner
* Jim Steinberg, former Deputy National Security Advisor
No massive surprises; it's pretty much the Dems' usual suspects [insert your own snark about ChangeTM here, should you be so inclined]—although, like Digby, I'm a little surprised to see Sam Nunn and David Boren on the list, and, like Drum, I'm a little surprised to see Zbigniew Brzezinski, Bill Richardson, and Samantha Powers left off the list.
Perhaps, with regard to the latter group's exclusion (particularly Richardson, who seems a cabinet shoo-in), this NSWG list is best viewed as "People Who Won't Be in Obama's Cabinet," heh.
Crossposted from AngryBlackBitch.com.
A bitch caught this news item on whether it is easier to raise boys or girls and…well, I’m quizzical.
I’ve never trusted research that is based on gender stereotypes. Coming from an academic background in Anthropology, a bitch knows that there are no absolutes and often even the more than likely averages tumble when confronted with reality.
So, when I read a question like “is it harder to raise boys or girls?” my knee jerk reaction is about a 4.5 on the Afro pain meter.
Note – a bitch is not a parent and has never played a parent on television, but I do have two beagles (1 Theo and 1 Betsey)
Anyhoo…
How does one answer that question if you are a parent, caretaker or guardian of chil’ren?
If your daughter…we’ll call her Mitzi…was challenging to raise, is that a gender issue or is it more about Mitzi?
Or if your son…we’ll call him Biff…was a contrary pain in the ass from jump, is that because he is a boy or is it because that’s just the way Biff got his childhood on?
I’ve heard this all before.
Girls are people-oriented.
Boys don’t listen well because their hearing is different.
Girls are insecure and lack confidence.
Boys are harder when they are young but girls will drive you up the wall in their teens.
Sigh.
I can’t help but wonder if chil’ren don’t feed off of our gender expectations of them and behave in a way to meet them…almost as if the adults in their lives are unconsciously guiding them to meet gender expectations.
I’m reminded of my own childhood and of the many times the adults in my world sent out those messages of what was expected of a young woman.
Hush…girls don’t talk loud, interrupt or make demands.
Smile…girls don’t express anger or frustration or dislike.
Soften up…girls give comfort and maternal support.
Then I think about the messages sent to the young men in my world.
Speak up…boys speak their minds so you need to assert yourself!
Give us a frown…after all, boys will be boys and public displays of frustration are to be expected.
Toughen up…stop acting like a girl.
And then I go back to the question…is it harder to raise boys than girls?…and I can’t help but think that it needs some rephrasing and redirecting toward children and away from parents.
Mayhap “is it or was it hard to grow up?”...followed by “why do you think it is or was hard or difficult?”
Blink.
This recipe comes from my husband's cousin, Karen, who brought it to a party at our house in 2003. Since then I had been "meaning to make it" and finally did this past Sunday. Better late than never, eh? LOL
If you'd like to participate in Shaker Gourmet, email me (include a blog link, if you have one!) at: shakergourmet (at) gmail.comBlack Russian Cake
1 18.25 oz pkg plain yellow cake mix
1 5.9 oz pkg instant chocolate pudding mix
1 c. vegetable oil
3/4 c. water
1/2 c. granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1/4 c. Kahlua or other coffee liqueur
1/4 c. vodka
GLAZE INGREDIENTS:
1/2 c. confectioner's sugar, sifted
1/4 c. Kahlua or other coffee liqueur
1. Place rack in center of oven and preheat to 350. Lightly grease & flour 12 c. Bundt pan. Shake out excess flour. Set aside pan.
2. Place cake ingredients (not glaze ingredients) in large mixing bowl and blend w/electric mixer for 1 min on low. Scrape down sides and beat 2 min on medium. Pour into pan and smooth.
3. Bake until cake springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and is just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan, 60-65 minutes. Remove from oven and put on wire rack to cool 20 mn. Run a long sharp knife around edge of pan and invert onto rack to cool completely, 20 minutes more.
4. Mix glaze ingredients together. Spoon over cake letting it drip over the sides. Let cake rest 10 minutes before serving.
Barack Obama recently appeared on the CBN program "The Brody File" to express "deep disappointment" at McCain. Now, there's about a squillion reasons to be "deeply disappointed" by... okay, incredibly disgusted by John McCain, but this was really irritating.
And he has every right to do so. Hell, I would expect him to, and I'm glad he is (as will I). I'm assuming that, given that McCain and his advisers spoke about sexism used against Clinton, Obama was expecting or would like a similar statement. But, McCain wasn't doing this because he was some feminist crusader (after all, this is the guy that called his wife a "cunt"); he was doing this to hopefully pull Clinton supporters to his camp. A smart, if disingenuous move, considering Clinton supporters weren't hearing any defenses coming from the Democrats. I'm not exactly sure why McCain would be motivated to say anything now that Obama is officially his opponent and McCain stands to gain nothing from saying something, but wev.In a one-on-one interview with The Brody File, Barack Obama says he is deeply disappointed that John McCain has not spoken out against the attacks leveled against his wife.
Michelle Obama has come under criticism from some conservatives because of comments that they say suggest she's unpatriotic, not proud to be an American and outside the mainstream.
Obama vigorously defends his wife.
"So the fact that people have tried to make her a target, based essentially on a couple of comments in which she was critical of what's happening to our American dream and the enormous difficulties that people are experiencing -- the difficulties that she hears directly as she is traveling across the country, I think is really distressing. And you know I've said publicly before, and I'll say it again - I think families are off limits. I would never consider making Cindy McCain a campaign issue, and if I saw people doing that - I would speak out against it. And the fact that I haven't seen that from John McCain I think is a deep disappointment."Honestly, I don't think Obama would consider making Cindy McCain a campaign issue. However, families aren't off limits when it's convenient for him.
As Obama tried to defend his recent comments about Republican ideas and Ronald Reagan, Clinton interrupted and said she has never criticized his remarks on Reagan."Your husband did," said Obama, who has accused the former president of misrepresenting his record.
"I'm here. He's not," she snapped.
"Well, I can't tell who I'm running against sometimes," Obama said.
Nice to see Obama inviting Billary out to play. I really don't want to hear about how attacking a former President is different than attacking a candidate's daughter. If "families are off limits," they're off limits. Using "your husband" makes it a little more personal.
...it would be a significantly less successful strategy if the Democrats were sweeping into the general on a cresting wave of misogyny-busting awesomeness, instead of having no goddamned leg to stand on.Sexism, after all, can be used against anyone, and if he were to receive the nomination, it could easily be used against his wife (or him). He didn't, and well, where are we now? Now, he looks like a man that was content to allow sexist attacks when they harmed his opponent, but is outraged now that they're hitting close to home.
This clip also care of Petulant, natch.
Whoopi Goldberg: —to say, I'm really glad to see you, because, you know, I'm seeing more and more of you on television—I'm thrilled about it—on the news. 'Cause any time you see black folks on the news, particularly women, they have no teeth [laughter] and the teeth that they have, have gold around them, and they can't put a sentence together. And perhaps now we can—this is—you are helping to change a perception. I know it sounds funny and silly, but if you're a black woman, and you're tuning in, and every time you see someone who's supposed to represent black women—and women, not very, very fair-skinned women; I'm talking about dark black women—I just wanna say thanks.It's an interesting thing Whoopi does here. She's ostensibly thanking Michelle Obama for providing an alternative archetype to the black women generally featured on the news, but, of course, that's not really what she's doing. Whoopi, one of the cleverest people in comedy, is not the kind of person who effectively thanks the wife of a presidential candidate for not being poor and not being uneducated and not being powerless. Seems to me what she's doing is using that frame to make a sly but pointed media critique.
I think this speaks for itself.
Transcript:H/T to Blue Gal, who is also not amused.
Woman: [speaking very quickly with a hand gesture so the audience will know she's "passionate"] Frankly I just feel like some politicians are completely out of touch with 99% of society.
Man: [speaking haltingly with raised eyebrows so the audience will know he's an idiot who's just making shit up to get laid] Yeahhh…and it's like…the mainstream media's fault.
Woman: You said it—finally someone who shares my struggle.
Man: I know, right? [now with conviction] Do you want to go to my apartment?
Woman: What?
Man: Whaaaat?
Woman: What kind of girl do you think I am?
Man: Oh—
VO: Need a moment? [Man grabs Twix and eats it.]
Man: I thought you were a believer, someone who'd wanna blog about our ideals, buuuut—
Woman: Oh, blogging! I love blogging!
VO: When you need a moment, chew it over with Twix.
What's the frequency, Shakers?
Recommended Reading:
Marcella: Rape Of Unconscious Can't Be Prosecuted Because Victim Unconscious
Andy: George Takei and Brad Altman Get Marriage License in WeHo
Dorothy Snarker: Love. Love. Love.
Shayera: "Conscientious Objector"? Or Just "Hater"?
The Snarky Squab: An Open Letter to the Douchebag Driving in Front of Me on Hwy. 77
Tracey: Note to MSN: Sexist Titles Ruin Articles
Thers: In The Office of Hearts, He'll Steal You Away
Phil: Giant Robot, Launch!
Leave your links in comments.
...to Teh Portly Dyke, who is so one of the best people on the planet it's not even funny, celebrating one year of Titty Wrap Hugging for peace.
The meat world has her. But I am organizing a rescue mission, and she will be recovered.
by Shaker Faith of That Is So Queer
Background here. [And there are teaspoons still available. — MM.]
This all started when Melissa wrote something brilliant. I can't, for the life of me, figure out which post it was, but I wanted to find a way to put to use the inspiration she'd given me.
Melissa wrote a post. She is only one woman. One teaspoon full. I was inspired to create some jewelry. You came out and bought the jewelry. Teaspoon-wielding Shakers donated in excess of $700 to CARE.org. CARE will use those funds to assist women in their communities to improve basic education, prevent the spread of HIV, increase access to clean water and sanitation, expand economic opportunity and protect natural resources.
I have always known, yet sometimes I have forgotten or lost faith in how powerful small groups can be. I do HIV research and my world often becomes exceedingly small and dreadfully large. I forget that within tiny groups there lies the power of new ideas, the power to change minds, the power to learn new ways of solving problems, and new ways of thinking.
CAR disclosed yesterday that she was once a fundamentalist and now she rejoices for the same sex couples getting married in California. Teaspoon full.
After her admission, others came out to make the same admission. More teaspoons.
I, and I imagine others, was inspired by seeing that minds could be opened. More teaspoons.
None of us knows what public Boob Pistol of Disdain or well thought out analysis will make someone rethink his or her stand on cis/transgendered people or remind a friend that not one of us are free until all of us are. We're not a bunch of bloggers spitting into the wind. We challenge each other to think out our positions, making us stronger advocates for all people.
In the words of Florynce Kennedy, patron saint of teaspoons, "You've got to rattle your cage door. You've got to let them know that you're in there, and that you want out. Make noise. Cause trouble. You may not win right away, but you'll sure have a lot more fun."
This is the essence of Shakesville. Make noise, cause trouble, have fun. There are more teaspoons. Rattle some cages.
If you've ever gasped in awe at a special effect, been moved to tears or screams by a non-human character, or cheered during the end credits, you're a fan. We'll miss you, Mr. Winston.
Stan Winston, the Oscar-winning special-effects maestro responsible for bringing the dinosaurs of "Jurrasic Park" and other iconic movie creatures to life, has died. He was 62.I remember when I initially saw the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, I was amazed at how real the darn things looked, even when they were closeup computer images. (Sam Neill's reaction was perfect, because we were having the same reaction.) Years later, I see CGI rar scary monstas in so many lousy movies, and it's incredible how they can't touch the realism created by Winston. Those are ones and zeroes, and nothing more.
Winston died at his home in Malibu surrounded by family on Sunday evening after a seven-year struggle with multiple myeloma, according to a representative from Stan Winston Studio.
Working with such directors as Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and Tim Burton in a career spanning four decades, Winston created some of the most memorable visual effects in cinematic history. He helped bring the dinosaurs from "Jurassic Park," the extraterrestrials from "Aliens, the robots from "Terminator" and even "Edward Scissorhands" to the big screen, and was a pioneer in merging real-world effects with computer imaging.
Shaker Melinda sent this charming bit of bumper-hate she found at Jewschool (who, to be clear for lazy link-followers, were posting it to condemn it, not to praise it):
Shaker Deana forwarded this Newsweek item this morning (emphasis mine):
No Glass Ceiling HereNo glass ceiling. Just a requirement that you suffer sexual harassment in order to get the same opportunities as the men who are sexually harassing you.
For 25 years, Lory Manning lived in a universe foreign to many women she knew. She participated in international negotiations and oversaw $3 million budgets. Her path to power: the Navy. Manning, who now works for a nonprofit, says she "never would have gotten these opportunities elsewhere."
Women and minorities often express dissatisfaction with barriers in the civil work force, but, according to a new University of Massachusetts study of 30,000 active-duty personnel, they are the most satisfied military employees. (White men are the least.) The service's racial diversity and rank-based hierarchy "level the playing field," says the study's author, sociologist Jennifer Hickes Lundquist. If the satisfaction among enlisted women seems surprising—especially given that a third reported experiencing sexual harassment in a recent Pentagon survey—there is a possible explanation: "They figure it's part of being a woman in the military," says University of Maryland sociologist Mady Wechsler Segal, who is unaffiliated with the survey. It may not sound like progress, but for a level playing field, it's a risk that some military women seem willing to take.
We found that 63% of women in science, engineering and technology have experienced sexual harassment. That's a really high figure.This was cited as "the most important antigen" driving women out of technology. Per the article, over half of the women who enter the fields of science, engineering, and IT leave mid-career.
They talk about demeaning and condescending attitudes, lots of off-color jokes, sexual innuendo, arrogance; colleagues, particularly in the tech culture, who genuinely think women don't have what it takes -- who see them as genetically inferior. It's hard to take as a steady stream. It's predatory and demeaning. It's distressing to find this kind of data in 2008.
...coming for to carry Bush the fuck out of Britain:
Yet President's Bush's malign legacy is about much more than Iraq. Relations have been soured by the prolonged jailing of innocent Britons in Guantanamo Bay, the suspected use of Britain as a stopover point for CIA torture flights and a hopelessly one-sided extradition treaty. President Bush has even helped to undermine the peace dividend from the end of the Cold War. He has antagonised Russia by pushing America's missile defence shield project, an outpost of which is to be situated on British territory.Yes, ladies and gents, the "legacy" moves ever onward to the great turd pile below. And while Dubya may take jabs at people who are "speculating" that this was his last trip, make no mistake; he won't be able to do much international travel after January, unless he fancies visiting The Hague.
Of course, one might argue that the real culprit here is Mr Blair, who signed Britain up unquestioningly to President Bush's foreign-policy goals when he was in Downing Street. Mr Blair's burden of responsibility is undeniable. But it does not rescue Mr Bush from the abysmally low regard in which he is held by the majority of Britons. And with his disregard for international law, his arrogant refusal to build alliances, this President would have inspired fierce opposition here, even if Mr Blair had not committed Britain to the Iraq misadventure and the "war on terror". [...]
And whatever the future holds for transatlantic relations, there will be very few in this country who watched President Bush's plane depart yesterday without a feeling of profound relief that the end of this disastrous presidency is finally in sight.
"The makers of bras are shepherds of the devil."—Elle, PhD. I know there are some women who find bras their salvation, and I don't for a moment begrudge them their bra-love. But I'm with Elle—I hate the fooking things!
As I've said before, if I can reasonably go without a bra, I do. (Which is way easy when you don't work outside the home.) If I have to wear a bra one day a week, I consider it a serious imposition on my boob freedom.
My boobs are big and dangly and jiggly. And I don't give a crap. Swing low, sweet chariots!
Part 27 in an ongoing series…
Have you seen the AT&T "alter ego" adverts, in which someone's phone isn't getting reception so they're missing an important call? Some of them are vaguely clever, like the Motorhead one, even if it is essentially just some guy doing a Jack Black impersonation. But one of them sets my teeth to grinding every single time I see it—which is scarily frequently considering how little TV I actually watch; they seem to run these things as constantly as those gawd-awful FreeCreditReport.com spots.
Anyway, this is the one I can't stand:
Transcript:There are about a thousand different reasons why I hate this commercial, and what it says about teenage girls, middle-aged men, daughters, fathers, and father-daughter relationships, just for a start, but the thing I think I hate most is the idea that if a father doesn't know where his teenage daughter is, the first thing he should do is make sure she isn't having ZOMG sex.
Dad in Background: Kelly? It's Daddy!
Dad in Foreground: Hey, pumpkin. It's Dad's phone. He can't answer right now because he doesn't have AT&T, which means he gets zero bars up here on this ridge. So, that text message about you spending the night at Stephie's? Johnny Knocker here won't get that. And, come Monday, you're gonna be the girl with the crazy father who no one wants to date.
Dad in Background: KELLY!!!
Dad in Foreground: Sorry, pumpkin.
