What's the best piece of career advice you've ever gotten?
Many years ago, while working in a corporate office not long after graduating college, I was complaining bitterly to my dad about my boss, whom I liked, but often made very foolish management decisions, especially with regard to employee morale. Like, monumentally foolish decisions, which would result in a wave of resignations or some other stafftastrophe, grim inevitabilities that were glaringly evident to everyone else from ten miles away.
I finished my rant about the latest terrible example, and how my boss had failed to listen to my warning about the inexorable dire outcome—I was so frustrated; why didn't my boss ever see the obvious?!—and my dad very calmly said to me, "Listen, you're probably going to be smarter than everyone you work for your whole life. You might as well reconcile yourself to that fact now so you don't spend your entire career constantly annoyed by it."
He just said it matter-of-factly, between bites of his dinner, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, but it a revelation to me. I might be smarter than the person who employs me. Shit.
That advice seriously lowered my stress level for many years, for all the years until I became my own boss.
"It's all cut-and-dry identity politics. 'Is he straight or is he gay?' Or, 'This is your third gay movie—come out already!' And all based on, gay or straight, based on the idea that your object of affection decides your sexuality. There are lots of other reasons to be interested in gay characters than wanting myself to go out and have sex with guys. And there are also lots of other aspects about these characters that I'm interested in, in addition to their sexuality. So, in some ways it's coincidental, in other ways it's not. I mean, I've played a gay man who's living in the '60s and '70s, a gay man who we depicted in the '50s, and one being in the '20s. And those were all periods when to be gay, at least being gay in public, was much more difficult. Part of what I'm interested in is how these people who were living anti-normative lifestyles contended with opposition. Or, you know what, maybe I'm just gay."—Actor James Franco, who, despite his fat hatred, of which I (perhaps foolishly) believe he could be cured with a thoughtful conversation given his open-mindedness to other ideas, I really kind of like quite a lot.
[You May Also Enjoy: James Franco makes out with himself in a mirror.]
A telescope captured the International Space Station as it passed in front of the sun during a partial eclipse yesterday.
[Trigger warning for sexual assault, rape apologia.]
Feminist Naomi Wolf has written a piece arguing that the women accusing Julian Assange of sexual assault ought to be named.
(The headline says they "deserve" to be named, which is certainly an interesting word choice; as a contributor to Comment is Free, however, I know that it was not a choice made by Wolf. I'm extremely curious to know which editor inserted that particular bit of vituperative judgment into the headline.)
There is so much wrong with Wolf's piece that I could literally spend the next three hours deconstructing and rebutting it, but that is time I'm simply not willing to invest responding to a concern troll.
I'll simply note that her premise is intrinsically flawed as it's based on the erroneous assumption that we shield accusers because of some antiquated notion that rape is shameful. We do not. We shield accusers because survivors are routinely revictimized by rape apologists.
If Wolf's got a problem with the fact that we need to protect the anonymity of people (not just women, by the way) who allege sexual violence, then she needs to take it up with the jackbooted enforcers of the rape culture who pour out of the woodwork to try to silence rape victims every time one of them has the temerity to speak.
And as for her contention that treating rape as shameful and its survivors as "damaged goods" has gone the way of whalebone, I encourage Wolf to spend some time speaking to raped daughters of Good Christians (just for a start) and see how many of them, of us, feel the shame of parents' silence—and, fuck, visible disappointment—wrapped tight around their midsections like a whalebone corset that will never go away.
[I will continue tweeting other reactions to this piece.]
Outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) (in blue) hands the speaker's gavel to incoming House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) after Boehner was elected Speaker on the opening day of the 112th United States Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, January 5, 2011. [Reuters Pictures]Sob.
Actor James Van Der Beek sits at a desk, typing on a laptop. He looks up at the camera, then begins to speak. Hi, I'm actor James Van Der Beek. If you're under the age of 20, odds are good you know me best from a five-second clip of me crying that's circulating the internet. Infamous gif appears. Yep, that's me on "Dawson's Creek" in a scene with Katie Holmes, where her character dumps mine. You know, the more I saw it in internet comment sections mocking the sadness of others, the more I realized what he internet was really demanding: More intense emotional close-ups of my face.Happy, obviously. With a dash of eyebrow string dancer.
So, I started a website! You can find short clips of me emoting dozens of other feelings at jamesvandermemes.com. The original clip is still there, of course, BUT digitally restored and remastered.
But what if you're not sad? What if you just watched an adorable cat video and you're giddy to share it? Post my new "happy" clip in the comment window to show everyone just how elated you are. "Happy" gif appears. Sometimes you need a good eyeroll to go with the latest Lindsay Lohan story. "LiLo Eye roll" gif appears. Things getting uncomfortable on your friend's blog? No bette way to say, "Awwwkwaaard!" than with this clip. "Awkward" gif appears.
We've got dozens of intense emotional clips fitting for any internet post. There's "Mild Sadness," "Super Sad Sobbing," "10 Year Anniversary Crying Edition," "Sheer Panic," "Nostalgia," "Double Take," "Eager Beaver," "Dramatic Dawson," "The O-Face"—that's for you, ladies—and many, many more.
Long on to jamesvandermemes.com today, and show the world what kind of vanderfeeling YOU'RE having.
Pop Quiz!
The state of Kentucky/Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority has given preliminary approval for $43 million in tax incentives to be used to fund _________?
If you said: "Ark Encounter, the theme park that is all about how people and dinosaurs lived together in the mesolithic (or is it neolithic) time based on particular biblical interpretations." -- you win 10,000 clams*.
On Dec. 20 the Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority gave preliminary approval for up to $43 million in tax incentives to help fund an attraction in Grant County based on the Genesis story of Noah's ark.Apparently an economic analysis has to be done--by an independent group and paid for by the developer--before final approval is given. It has to meet certain criteria as set out by a '96 tourism law. Ok. Tourism and jobs = important. Understandable. But. But. Seriously now. This apparently is a really out there suggestion, so prepare yourself: there might be other things that Kentucky might want to focus on that $43 million worth of incentives could help. Things which are not religious-based, anti-science propaganda. Just maybe.
Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear is an enthusiastic supporter of Ark Encounter, the 800-acre park that will tell how men and dinosaurs co-existed less than 10,000 years ago according to one interpretation of biblical texts.
Ark Encounter is the brain child of Answers in Genesis, the Christian organization behind the Creation Museum, a popular creationist-oriented destination in the state. The developer says the park will generate 900 jobs and 1.9 million tourists a year. Taxpayers will be on the hook for 25 percent of the total cost, but only after the park is finished and begins to reach its performance goals.
Environmental justice activist Judy Bonds has passed away at the age of 58.
The WaPo has an excellent obit:
"A coalfields native who scraped by working in restaurants and convenience stores, Ms. Bonds was equivocal about the risks of mining until the 1990s, when the A.T. Massey Coal Co. arrived in Marfork hollow, one of the narrow, green valleys that wind through the Appalachian Mountains in southern West Virginia."
"Massey had planned a dam farther up Marfork hollow - an impoundment that would hold millions of gallons of coal sludge. Her family would be in danger if the dam failed, and such dams had failed before - including in 1972 at Buffalo Creek, W.Va., where 125 people were killed in the toxic flood."
"When she heard her grandson concocting escape plans in the event of a dam break, Ms. Bonds - the last holdout in Marfork - knew that it was time to move and time to call attention to the threats of mountaintop mining to clean air, clean water and the Appalachian way of life."
"'If coal is so good for us hillbillies,' she said at a 2008 Appalachian Studies Association conference, 'then why are we so poor?'"
[Trigger warning for transphobia and diminishing the gravity of sexual assault.]
So I'm looking at Yahoo's News Photos page, and discover the below strip featuring the top photos in the "Odd News" section, which, as I have written many times previously, typically includes content that equates gender-based violence with stories of water-skiing squirrels or other inane crap:
Yesterday, NPR ran two stories on the spectacle that is the moderate wing of the Democratic Party.
My favorite part was the sound bite from Jim Kessler of the think tank Third Way, who represents the direction the White House is (still) going. [Spoiler alert: the third way is a lot like the other two, only more condescending.]:
"With the passage of health care reform, the 80-year Democratic quest to build the best possible safety net is essentially over... and the Democratic Party has to shift from being a party primarily concerned with economic security and dividing up the pie to one that is primarily concerned with economic growth and expanding the pie."
President Obama is reportedly considering former Commerce Secretary William Daley for a position in the West Wing — possibly chief of staff. That would signal the administration's intent to court moderate voters and the business community.
Daley, who was commerce secretary under President Clinton, is on the board of a Washington think tank called Third Way, that advocates for centrist policies.
I thought there was a dearth of people who accepted the inevitability of globalization, the inevitability and power of markets, and yet who still believe there was a role for government to make sure that a rising tide was lifting all boats.
This blogaround brought to you by Shaxco, publishers of The General Annabelle Lee and Other Pop Culture Smashes.
Recommended Reading:
Thomas: Prop 8: They Did What Now?
Andy: Same-Sex Marriages Performed Elsewhere are Legal in New Mexico, Says Attorney General
Zerlina: Dear Kanye West: I Quit You [TW for misogyny, sexual violence, dehumanization, exploitation]
BTD: Norquist Triumphant
Shark-fu: By request…my thoughts on re-writing Twain…
Meowser: The FODMAP Not Taken [TW for discussion of eating and diet]
Angry Asian Man: Epic YouTube Cover: "Beauty in the World"
Leave your links in comments...
eHarmony's copywriting is being outsourced to the same firm who's been penning Presbyterian sermons:
Budget Hawk Eyes Deficit.
David Leonhardt makes The Blade sound almost scarily reasonable, by omitting all of his catastrophic failures. It's all well and good to hear a Republican talk about investing in infrastructure, but letting Daniels wax patriotic about building roads without mentioning his penchant for privatizing them is just irresponsible journalism.
Frankly, a profile of Daniels that doesn't even contain the word "privatize" is dishonest. It is his defining characteristic as governor.
And despite the glowing whitewash that surrounds it, this is really the only passage that accurately reflects his governorship:
Shortly before taking office, he gathered his staff in an Indianapolis hotel and told them that their No. 1 goal was lifting the per capita disposable income of the state's residents. Instead, income growth in Indiana has trailed growth nationwide and in every bordering state but Michigan.That paragraph arrives third from last in the entire piece.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs is leaving the White House. But only in his capacity as Press Secretary. Gibbs "will step down and become an outside political adviser to the president and his re-election campaign." Not surprising, since he was an integral part of Obama's election campaign the first time around.
I'll really miss all the hippie-punching, though. *single tear*
This weekend, I played some Rock Band, watched some football, and roller skated. In that order.
10-year-old Kathryn Aurora Gray of Fredericton, New Brunswick discovered a supernova. Which is approximately fifty kerfuffletillion times cooler than anything involving Whitesnake and a plastic guitar.
The Toronto Star:
“Kathryn pointed to the screen and said: ‘Is this one?’ I said yup, that looks pretty good,” said Paul Gray, describing his daughter’s find.
“It’s fantastic that someone so young would be passionate about astronomy. What an incredible discovery. We’re all very excited,” said Deborah Thompson, executive director of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.
Dateline: Capitulationtown.
The Obama administration, reversing course, will revise a Medicare regulation to delete references to end-of-life planning as part of the annual physical examinations covered under the new health care law, administration officials said Tuesday.Literally, the Obama administration just caved to GOP framing because the GOP is going after his healthcare plan, and instead of standing their ground, in fear of Sarah Palin screaming, "Death panels!" again, they dropped the regulation, despite the millions of people it may have helped.
The move is an abrupt shift, coming just days after the new policy took effect on Jan. 1.
Many doctors and providers of hospice care had praised the regulation, which listed "advance care planning" as one of the services that could be offered in the "annual wellness visit" for Medicare beneficiaries.
While administration officials cited procedural reasons for changing the rule, it was clear that political concerns were also a factor. The renewed debate over advance care planning threatened to become a distraction to administration officials who were gearing up to defend the health law against attack by the new Republican majority in the House.
